Let me start about by saying that I can see why Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn won awards for best actress in a leading role and best actor in a leading roll.



Dead Man Walking a film by Tim Robbins is based on actual events. Susan Sarandon portrays Sister Helen Prejean a nun who is in prison ministry and becomes pen-pals with a condemned inmate Matthew Poncelet. Sister Helen went to the prison just to talk with him and get him to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior before he was scheduled to be executed.



Sean Penn portrays Matthew Poncelet a man who was convicted of killing two teenagers and sentenced to die. I would also like to add that Sean's portrayal of Matthew Poncelet (this is not the real life name of the actual person that this movie was based on.) was very moving so much so that it actually made me cry.



What I loved about this movie was that it raised a lot of questions on the issue of capital punishment. The Bible says "Thou Shall Not Kill" but, The Bible also says "An Eye for an Eye" As you watch this film you will see how the victims family and rightfully so want Matthew Poncelet to die. They feel that this is the right thing to do. However, Sister Helen brings up some startling points like just because someone committed a horrible crime does that mean that he or she does not deserve to hear about God's love and His forgiveness and to be treated like a human being during their last days? This film after you watch it will make you ask these questions. (At least it did for me)



I'm so glad I bought this film because it does truly make you wonder what is truly the right and wrong way to handle situations like in the case of Matthew Poncelet.



The only thing I was really disappointed with was the ending because the ending in the movie differs from the actual events that had taken place which I don't understand but, other than that I have no complaints and I really do think that anyone who is torn on the issue of capital punishment or lean to one side over the other should see this film because it does not only show the victim's families point of view but, you also get to see things through the eyes of someone who is convicted of a crime. So this is why I love this film because it doesn't just focus on one point of view but, both points of view.