American Violence

Texas is wavering on a execution because it's an election year, so they ask a 'world renowned psychologist' to conduct an interview and make a recommendation - Yeah right. She agrees because it's a good opportunity for her studies in the cycle of violence - Plausible. The 'world renowned psychologist' has her eyes opened and lady bits tingling in 72 hours - Just stop.

How about interviewing a violent offender with nothing to lose? No problem, let's just push this desk up against the bars with electrical cords in reach. Need a light? Here's a Zippo they let me to bring in. Need to build rapport? No problem, I'll start with anger and self-righteousness. Don't like something he says? Wad up some paper and throw it at him. Heard a few stories that got you changing your mind? Stand up against the bars with him like you're the big spoon. Back at the university teaching? Tell us how you feel by glancing wistfully at the Zippo on the lectern.

I chuckled when the guy's love interest was introduced. I'm not sure what was happening with her outfit, but a Goodwill thrift store cried that day. She seemed to be wearing too big business type clothes on top and raggedy underwear looking shorts on bottom. The humor stopped though when she started talking in that awful accent. Her clothes got better, the script and acting didn't. Not sure how much a person can take of a grown woman lounging in a bikini in front of her father, whom she calls daddy, with her chest thrust out. Don't worry, she throws out some range when she pouts and coos at him. Like when daddy offered her up to his body guard. I think it was the movie's attempt at humor. God stop the pain of this script.

2 stars - the cinematography wasn't bad.

Possibly uses every cliché in this genre and still plays like a poorly written country and western song. Acting is shallow and hackneyed, dialogue is stilted and amateur. Can't make its mind up if it wants to be Bonnie and Clyde or just a generic bad guy who is really a good guy but life done him wrong flick. This is just MTV fodder, better off watching We Need to Talk about Kevin.

Greetings again from the darkness. Making a political statement is nothing new for movies; however, if a filmmaker takes a stance on a controversial issue, the final product needs to be insightful and compelling in order to make a difference. Seemingly intent on making a mockery of the Death Penalty, director Timothy Woodward Jr delivers little more than a B-movie with a hyper-serious tone, but a script that is at times laughably off the mark.

Even before the opening credits roll, we get our first brutal murder … just moments after persnickety Bruce Dern belittles his wife over the sandwich she made for him. Next up, Dr. Amanda Tyler (Denise Richards) is being asked by the Assistant District Attorney to consult on the case of a death row inmate, to determine if a stay of execution should be granted. See, Dr. Tyler is a criminal psychologist. Yes, she's played by Denise Richards. If this causes you frightening flashbacks to Ms. Richards' role as a physicist in The World is Not Enough, then you begin to have some idea what this movie is like.

The inmate is Jackson Shea (a formidable Kaiwi Lyman-Mersereau) and as he tells his life story, we are provided scenes that explain how he got to this point. It's a pretty interesting backstory starting with sleazy Uncle Mike, an alcoholic mother, and a seemingly endless array of circumstance that might have formed the basis of a better movie. You will note many familiar faces along the way: Michael Pare as Shea's partner, Patrick Kilpatrick as a criminal kingpin, Johnny Messner as a fellow criminal, and Emma Rigby as Shea's love interest. For you football fans, you'll likely reminisce about Brian Boswell when you witness Rob Gronkowski as a gun-toting bodyguard.

All of this could have been good criminal fun if we weren't being incessantly slapped upside the head with the anti-Death Penalty message … how trading death for death isn't appropriate, and for tilting the scales to show how criminals are basically good guys who accidentally end up in a bad spot thanks to a broken system and culture of violence. It's all a bit too heavy-handed and self-righteous, taking away some of the joy in chuckling at Ms. Richards playing it straight as an intellectual idealist.

Film is generally average, not bad or great. But in the execution chamber the priest is holding a copy of 'The New World Translation of The Holy Scriptures'. A bible internationally recognized for the accuracy of translation from the original language by bible scholars around the world, produced by Jehovah's Witnesses. The priest in the witness room was either Catholic or Protestant and they refuse to use accurate this bible, what gives??????

Oh my god, someone actually wrote words and made actors (not real good ones) say them out loud. Lost track of who was who. Hated every single character. So much plastic surgery I thought they'd melt. Why did Gronk decide to be in this? Thought it would never end! I need to go self flagellate for making myself watch this to the excruciating end.