When Betty Anne Waters' older brother Kenny is arrested for murder and sentenced to life in 1983, Betty Anne, a Massachusetts wife and mother of two, dedicates her life to overturning the murder conviction. Convinced that her brother is innocent, Betty Anne puts herself through high school, college and, finally, law school in an 18 year quest to free Kenny. With the help of best friend Abra Rice, Betty Anne pores through suspicious evidence mounted by small town cop Nancy Taylor, meticulously retracing the steps that led to Kenny's arrest. Belief in her brother - and her quest for the truth - pushes Betty Anne and her team to uncover the facts and utilize DNA evidence with the hope of exonerating Kenny.
In the hands of Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell and a strong supporting cast, this earnest film manages to tug a few heartstrings and say something important in the process.
– Anthony Kaufman,
Dallas Morning News,
22 Oct 2010
fresh:
What makes Conviction worth seeing is its depiction of a self-immolating crusader.
– Peter Rainer,
Christian Science Monitor,
22 Oct 2010
rotten:
Tony Goldwyn directed a cast that ranges from the excellent (Minnie Driver as a fellow attorney, Melissa Leo as a crooked cop) to the laughable (Juliette Lewis as a trashy woman whose perjured testimony helps put the brother away).
– J. R. Jones,
Chicago Reader,
22 Oct 2010
fresh:
It's a solid if somewhat straightforward story of sacrifice and allegiance.
– Tom Long,
Detroit News,
22 Oct 2010
fresh:
Traditional and unambitious it may be, but 'Conviction' is a good tale persuasively told.