Judging from the people involved, I expected this to be at least a good movie. Instead it turned out to be a preachy anti-death penalty movie that glorified murder, just not when the people getting murdered have been convicted of anything. To be clear, the movie goes out of its way several times to denigrate specifically the State of Texas and its use of the death penalty, while it justifies the main character committing murder against people who have not been convicted of any crime whatsoever and who didn't have any primary role in state executions.
Further, as a lifelong Texan, I found it silly that the very distinct Louisiana accent used by the main male character/former Huntsville death row guard was actually claimed to be a "Texas drawl". They should get their money back from the speech coach who lied to them.
The supposedly clarifying scene of an execution attended by a little 4 year old girl whose father was being executed is completely ridiculous on so many levels. They wouldn't allow any child to witness an execution. Period. Much less the child of the person being executed. The people who strap the inmate down probably don't hang around while the actual execution takes place, and they don't actually kill anyone, so why they would be hunted down and killed in revenge for the execution is a mystery. Maybe if the writer had considered the District Attorney, arresting officers, witnesses who helped get the person convicted, even the person who actually pushes the button that kills the convicted inmate would be better targets than the guy who straps the inmates left wrist. That's just dumb.
But really, the movie deserves a low rating because it promotes the favored Hollywood stereotype that Texans sound dumb, look dumb and are dumb. I don't recall Hollywood being around on any jump I ever made. I have never seen Hollywood in any firefight. I have only ever seen Hollywood pretend to be things it is not and then give itself an award for how good it pretends to be things it is not. I am referring to Hollywood in the singular although it is made up of a lot of pretentious and self absorbed persons who do things like preach about the death penalty and make fun of Texans.
Audie Murphy was from Texas. In World War Two he received every combat medal for valor available from the U.S. Army, along with French and Belgian medals. He also received the Congressional Medal of Honor. I never seen Hollywood get any of those. He didn't look dumb, sound dumb and was not actually dumb. He was also not pretentious and self absorbed.
If Hollywood wants to pretend to be someone that looks dumb, sounds dumb and is dumb they should just be themselves.
Further, as a lifelong Texan, I found it silly that the very distinct Louisiana accent used by the main male character/former Huntsville death row guard was actually claimed to be a "Texas drawl". They should get their money back from the speech coach who lied to them.
The supposedly clarifying scene of an execution attended by a little 4 year old girl whose father was being executed is completely ridiculous on so many levels. They wouldn't allow any child to witness an execution. Period. Much less the child of the person being executed. The people who strap the inmate down probably don't hang around while the actual execution takes place, and they don't actually kill anyone, so why they would be hunted down and killed in revenge for the execution is a mystery. Maybe if the writer had considered the District Attorney, arresting officers, witnesses who helped get the person convicted, even the person who actually pushes the button that kills the convicted inmate would be better targets than the guy who straps the inmates left wrist. That's just dumb.
But really, the movie deserves a low rating because it promotes the favored Hollywood stereotype that Texans sound dumb, look dumb and are dumb. I don't recall Hollywood being around on any jump I ever made. I have never seen Hollywood in any firefight. I have only ever seen Hollywood pretend to be things it is not and then give itself an award for how good it pretends to be things it is not. I am referring to Hollywood in the singular although it is made up of a lot of pretentious and self absorbed persons who do things like preach about the death penalty and make fun of Texans.
Audie Murphy was from Texas. In World War Two he received every combat medal for valor available from the U.S. Army, along with French and Belgian medals. He also received the Congressional Medal of Honor. I never seen Hollywood get any of those. He didn't look dumb, sound dumb and was not actually dumb. He was also not pretentious and self absorbed.
If Hollywood wants to pretend to be someone that looks dumb, sounds dumb and is dumb they should just be themselves.