Plot: What’s it about?
With the clock ticking death row inmate Frank Beauchum (Isaiah Washington) awaits lethal injection for a murder he says he didn’t commit. A black man with a troubled past identified by two white witnesses and a pregnant white store clerk shot dead with him standing over the body…doesn’t look good. Enter Steve Everett, (Clint Eastwood) a reporter who has a nose for booze and women and at one time a good story. Assigned the interview with Beauchum he does a little digging into the case and in just a few minutes he feels something just isn’t right. With broken promises to his young daughter and his marriage crumbling, Everett continues his investigation and after interviewing Beauchum and his wife he believes that Beauchum is innocent. Everett has less than 6 hours to prove his hunch that all the detectives, defense investigators, prosecutors, judge and jury were wrong.
With a hot issue like capitol punishment Eastwood (Director) could have stirred some serious emotions in this movie but definitely missed the mark. Poor work on both sides of the camera seem as if he was casually walking through both roles. After 20 plus shots in the directors seat and over 45 movies as an actor maybe you just go to the well once too often. Even the cast…and a good one at that…seem stale. James Woods plays his boss at the newspaper but his character is almost laughable wasting his talents that were proven in more movies than I care to list…well just one…Citizen Cohn. I found myself wishing to trade places with Beauchum to find a way to stop this cruel and unusual punishment but luckily the movie ended.
Video: How does it look?
Done in Anamorphic Widescreen the video outshines the movie itself. Good look to the scenes and the converted gas chamber show good attention to detail that could have…should have been applied to the script.
Audio: How does it sound?
Mostly dialogue and a smattering of jazz…a known favorite of Clint…do well in 5.1 but nothing spectacular.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Here is where this release shines above many others. True behind the scenes info such as a featurettes and interviews with the cast and a look from a reporter’s perspective on a real death row case. There is even a music video with song co-written by Clint…hope he doesn’t mind me calling him Clint. Once the movie stops the entertainment begins with the extra features available on this DVD.
