Just tried to watch this - failed miserably as did the film. Main failure was a monstrously miscast former model ( says it all ) trying to act - a hopelessly hackneyed storyline and as I read the above by write2 topcat - (thanks for saving me from suffering to the very end) I now know the ending was exactly as I had envisaged. Dreadful.

Yeah, I've seen other death row films where they do the same thing; they telegraph that the guy is going to die despite the best efforts of those trying to have the execution stayed. They telegraph the failures of the legal team to get things done on time, or the intransigence of the judge, or whatever. They drag out the maudlin hand wringing, the desperate last minute efforts, and the family crying with the inmate.

I hate the transparent manipulation of the audience. We can tell the efforts will fail, and we are forced to watch the legal team agonizing, racing against the clock, learning that exculpatory evidence cannot be presented past a certain point in time, and showing up at 1 minute past time. No matter where I stand on an issue, I hate the blatant emotional manipulation these film makers attempt. It's an exercise in feeling awful brought about more by cheap plot devices than the issue.

I also hate the idea that any crime - however monstrous - can be forgiven if the perpetrator was abused as a child - was a drug addict - the product of a dysfunctional family - etc etc. I think in these over liberal times there is an excuse for anything and the concept of simply being evil has been forgotten.

@strangebedfellows said:

I also hate the idea that any crime - however monstrous - can be forgiven if the perpetrator was abused as a child - was a drug addict - the product of a dysfunctional family - etc etc. I think in these over liberal times there is an excuse for anything and the concept of simply being evil has been forgotten.

DITTO

I think the writer CS Lewis wrote something about this. He spoke of a boy who lied and cheated and stole. The boy had been very unfortunate in his childhood. Lewis basically said that while we can feel sorry about his unfortunate upbringing, it is still this boy who lies, and cheats, and steals. He must still face the consequences of his actions. Mitigating circumstances don't negate the crime. True repentance is good, yet it doesn't change what you did and reparations must still be made, if indeed it is even possible to make them.

He got it right.