Conviction (2010 film): Difference between revisions
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'''''Conviction''''' is a 2010 drama film directed by [[Tony Goldwyn]]. It stars [[Hilary Swank]] as Betty Anne Waters and [[Sam Rockwell]] as her brother Kenneth Waters. The film premiered on September 11, 2010, at the [[Toronto Film Festival]] and was released on a limited basis in 11 U.S. theaters on October 15, 2010.<ref name="boxoffice"/><ref>[http://www.annarbor.com/entertainment/locally-shot-conviction-getting-limited-release-but-opening-here-soon/ Locally Shot ''Conviction'' getting limited release]</ref> |
'''''Conviction''''' is a 2010 drama film directed by [[Tony Goldwyn]]. It stars [[Hilary Swank]] as Betty Anne Waters and [[Sam Rockwell]] as her brother Kenneth Waters. The film premiered on September 11, 2010, at the [[Toronto Film Festival]] and was released on a limited basis in 11 U.S. theaters on October 15, 2010.<ref name="boxoffice"/><ref>[http://www.annarbor.com/entertainment/locally-shot-conviction-getting-limited-release-but-opening-here-soon/ Locally Shot ''Conviction'' getting limited release]</ref> |
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==Plot== |
==Plot== |
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Revision as of 13:52, 4 December 2010
 | It has been suggested that some portions of this article should be split into a new article titled Kenneth Waters (or Betty Anne Waters). (discuss) |
| Conviction | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Tony Goldwyn |
| Written by | Pamela Gray |
| Produced by | Andrew Sugerman Andrew Karsch Tony Goldwyn |
| Starring | Hilary Swank Sam Rockwell Minnie Driver Juliette Lewis Melissa Leo Peter Gallagher |
| Edited by | Jay Cassidy |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Fox Searchlight Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 107 minutes |
| Countries | Template:Film UK Template:Film US |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $12,500,000[1] |
| Box office | $2,378,000 |
Conviction is a 2010 drama film directed by Tony Goldwyn. It stars Hilary Swank as Betty Anne Waters and Sam Rockwell as her brother Kenneth Waters. The film premiered on September 11, 2010, at the Toronto Film Festival and was released on a limited basis in 11 U.S. theaters on October 15, 2010.[1][2]
Plot
The film is based on the true story of Betty Anne Waters, an unemployed single mother who, with the help of attorney Barry Scheck from the Innocence Project, exonerated her wrongfully convicted brother. In order to do this she earned her GED, then her bachelor's, a master's in education, and eventually a law degree from Roger Williams University in Rhode Island. She accomplished this while raising two boys alone and working as a waitress part-time. While in law school, she began investigating her brother's case.
Kenneth "Kenny" Waters, her brother, was convicted in 1983 of murdering Katharina Brow in Ayer, Massachusetts (the murder occurred in 1980). Betty Anne located biological evidence and then worked with the Innocence Project, a nonprofit organization devoted to overturning wrongful convictions, to obtain DNA testing on the evidence—proving Waters' innocence and leading to his exoneration on June 19, 2001.[3] The film ends soon after he is freed.
Cast
- Hilary Swank plays Betty Anne Waters, a single mother who spends a decade earning a law degree so she can represent her brother in court.[4]
- Sam Rockwell plays her brother Kenny, whom she believes is innocent of the crime for which he was convicted and imprisoned.[5]
- Minnie Driver plays Abra, Betty Anne's friend from law school, who helps her with the case.[5][6]
- Melissa Leo plays Nancy Taylor, a cop who pins the murder on Kenny.[5][7]
- Loren Dean plays Rick Miller, Betty Anne's husband, who separates from her after she decides to return to school and becomes deeply involved in Kenny's case.[5]
- Jennifer G. Roberts plays Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley.
- Clea DuVall plays Brenda Marsh.[5]
- Juliette Lewis plays Roseanna Perry.[5]
- Peter Gallagher plays Barry Scheck, of the Innocence Project.
- Conor Donovan plays Richard Miller, Rick and Betty Anne's older son.
- Owen Campbell plays Ben Miller, Rick and Betty Anne's younger son.
- Bailee Madison plays the younger Betty Anne Waters.
- J David Moeller plays Betty Anne's grandfather (Ben Davenport) when she was a child.
- Jordan Moratsuchi plays a law student.
- Eric McCoy plays Wiley, a law student.
- Dr. Azrael Paredes plays one of Barry Scheck's interns.
Production
Production began in February 2009 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.[5][7] The script was written by Pamela Gray. The poster was released June 21, 2010.[8]
Reception
Conviction has received generally positive reviews. Review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes reports that 66% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 115 reviews, with an average score of 6.4/10. The critical consensus is: Less compelling -- and more manipulative -- than it should be, Conviction benefits from its compelling true story and a pair of solid performances from Swank and Rockwell.[9] Another review aggregator Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 59 out of 100, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[10]
Martha Coakley, Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, who was portrayed in the film, commented after seeing a pre-screening on October 12, 2010, that it was a compelling film but there were legal inaccuracies or temporal exaggerations.[11] Family members of Katharina Brow have criticized the film company for failing to consult the family on the movie's depiction of their mother.[12]
Aftermath
Kenneth Waters died from a fall on September 19, 2001, just three months after his release from prison.[13] In 2009 the town of Ayer and its insurers agreed to settle his estate's civil rights lawsuit for $3.4 million.[14]
Betty Anne Waters lives in New England. She has continued her work to free individuals wrongfully convicted of crime, as well as to fight for the rights of prison inmates.
The film fails to mention that Kenneth Waters died three months after being released from prison.[15][16] On September 19, 2001, Waters took a shortcut to a Chinese restaurant in Rhode Island that involved walking on a 15-foot high wall.[16][17] He slipped and fell, dying from injuries related to head trauma.[16]
References
- ^ a b Box Office Mojo
- ^ Locally Shot Conviction getting limited release
- ^ "Kenny Waters", The Innocence Project
- ^ Kilday, Gregg, "Fox Searchlight acquires Hilary Swank pic 'Betty Anne Waters' helmed by Tony Goldwyn", Hollywood Reporter, Feb 3, 2010
- ^ a b c d e f g Jay A. Fernandez (2009-03-01). "Loren Dean joins Hilary Swank in 'Waters'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2009-03-14. [dead link]
- ^ "Minnie Driver Joins Betty Anne Waters", The Hollywood Reporter, January 26, 2009
- ^ a b Dave McNary (2009-02-24). "Melissa Leo jumps into 'Waters'". Variety. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
- ^ "Conviction Poster". The Film Stage. June 21, 2010. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
{{cite web}}: External link in|work= - ^ "Conviction Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
- ^ "Conviction Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
- ^ Gelzinis, Peter, "Martha Coakley: Movie’s ‘inaccurate’ but a ‘delight’", The Boston Herald, Thursday, October 14, 2010
- ^ Tourtellotte, Bob, "Hilary Swank film draws ire of victim's family", Reuters, Los Angeles, Thu Oct 14, 2010
- ^ "Man Wrongly Imprisoned Dies", Associated Press, Middletown, Rhode Island, September 19, 2001
- ^ Jonathan Saltzman, Ayer to pay $3.4m for unjust conviction, The Boston Globe, July 15, 2009.
- ^ Roger Ebert review: "http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101013/REVIEWS/101019992 Conviction."
- ^ a b c Boston Globe article: "Town of Ayer and insurers pay millions to estate of wrongly convicted man."
- ^ MyFoxBoston.com article: "Wrongly convicted man gets $3.4M."
Further reading
- Larrabee, John; Olivo, Russ, "Reluctant Hero", Rhode Island Monthly
- Stockman, Farah; Daniel, Mac, "After 18 years in prison, 'It's great to be free' : Ex-inmate savors the world outside", The Boston Globe, March 16, 2001