DVD Review: Conviction (2010)

FAMILY TIES

At the moral centre of Tony Goldwyn's Conviction is a very thoughtful question -- how much faith can a human being actually vest in another, and how unwavering can that faith remain in the face of the toughest resistance? Based on the true story of Betty Anne Waters (Hillary Swank, dependable) an ordinary waitress from Massachusetts who spent 18 years of her life believing in her older brother Kenny's (Sam Rockwell, dazzling) innocence on a murder charge for which he served a prison sentence based mostly on circumstantial evidence backed by his erratic, volatile personality.

The point is, Kenny looks every bit capable of murder. And yet, his little sister and his companion through a neglected childhood firmly believes he didn't do it. Unfortunately, nobody else shares her conviction and it's not very difficult for the prosecuting officer (Melissa Leo making the most she can of a one-dimensional character) to nail him. Betty Anne who's married and has a little baby decides to put her life on hold and fight for Kenny's release. It's a long drawn battle involving much sacrifice and tremendous grit.

She, who's never been to college, decides to educate herself, get a law degree while keeping her job at the pub where she works and raising her two boys as a single parent. Kenny, meanwhile, survives prison life by the thin line of hope his kid sister has thrown him and somehow hangs in without getting into too much trouble, although he does attempt suicide in the early days, before she extracts a firm promise from him to stick it out.

If Betty Anne's resolve or her faith ever wavered even for a moment, Goldwyn doesn't care to know. Which is a bit of a problem. Because while we all love heroes who are unquestionably committed about their mission, it's almost impossible to put yourself through years of hardship to save someone else's life; nor is it plausible that her belief in her brother's innocence remained steadfast and undying through all those years. There aren't any shades to her personality beyond her dogged determination, which, instead of bolstering the drama, actually dampens it somewhat.

Which is why, it's the smaller characters who seem more attractive, particularly Minnie Driver as her only friend in law school and scene stealer Juliette Lewis as Kenny's erstwhile girlfriend who testifies against him under duress and lives to regret her decision.

We all know what the outcome of her struggle will be. It's a true story, so no suspense there. The end credits tell us that Betty Anne continues working at the pub and volunteers for the Innocence Project, an organisation committed to the cause of the wrongfully convicted.

What they don't tell us is that Kenny Waters, for whose release his sister fought for 18 long years, died in a freak accident just six months after his release!