CONVICTION: 2 ½ stars out of 4. Starring Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver and Melissa Leo. Directed by Tony Goldwyn. Rated: R, strong language, violent images In "Conviction," performances overcome the weaknesses and flaws in a story that is more gripping in real life than it is on the screen. The movie centers on the strong bond between Betty Anne Waters (Hilary Swank) and her brother, Kenny (Sam Rockwell), and the extraordinary efforts she undertakes to exonerate him from a gross miscarriage of justice. The movie scores in showing Waters' tenacity and determination to prove her brother, who is serving a life sentence, innocent of the murder for which he was convicted. To do so, this high school dropout decides to return to school, gets her GED then goes on to college and law school. This should be the most compelling part of the movie because Waters paid a hefty price to achieve her goal, costing her not only her marriage but also her children. Yet director Tony Goldwyn rushes through this part of the movie. Instead he concentrates on the efforts of Betty Anne, her friend and fellow lawyer, Abra Rice (Minnie Driver), and the head of The Innocence Project to overturn Kenny's conviction. And while this makes for interesting viewing, it also is rather formulaic as we have seen this scenario many times before. The heart of the movie, though, is the unwavering devotion between Betty Anne and Kenny, who were raised in the most harrowing of circumstances and yet survived by clinging to each other and watching each other's backs. Their fierce relationship and unconditional love are what keeps you riveted to the screen. At times "Conviction" is superficial, especially when dealing with Betty Anne's personal life, and manipulative Goldwyn does everything but paint a black mustache on the wonderful Melissa Leo as the small-town police officer whose investigation helped convict Kenny but the sincerity of the cast is what draws you in. Swank is bulldog-tenacious albeit a bit too self-sacrificing as Betty Anne. Driver brings a sense of humor and street smarts to her role as Rice, while Juliette Lewis steals her one big scene as a trashy ex-girlfriend of Kenny whose perjured testimony helped convict him. But the movie belongs to Rockwell as the swaggering, irresponsible Kenny. He is someone aimlessly drifting through life. He is tough and cocky, but underneath his rough exterior beats a good heart. Rockwell's ability to display the many facets of Kenny should earn him a best supporting actor Oscar nomination. "Conviction" is flawed, yet still will draw an audience into its story. But because it shrugs off many intriguing aspects about Betty Anne's struggles, it fails to reach its potential as great cinema.
Review of Conviction
