Conviction

(M) Fox DVD/BD

Based loosely on a true story, Conviction follows Betty Anne Waters (Hillary Swank), a high school dropout, who dedicates 20 years of her life to proving her brother, Kenny (Sam Rockwell), is innocent.

Kenny, the local bad-boy the police pick up whenever something suspicious happens, is wrongly convicted of the violent murder of a neighbouring “old lady”, whose house he and Betty Anne had frequently broken into for fun as children.

The local police corruptly coerce two of Kenny’s ex-girlfriends into testifying against him and he gets life without parole.

Betty Anne’s obsession breaks her marriage and her children end up leaving to live with her father as she grinds through law school, encouraged by another mature age student, Abra (Minnie Driver). Once they graduate, Abra joins Betty Anne on the crusade to find the evidence and have Kenny freed.

Conviction doesn’t set a fast pace and the use of flashbacks to Kenny and Betty Anne’s childhood, while designed to explain Betty Anne’s obsession with freeing Kenny, are probably over-used.

Overall, an average screenplay is boosted by some great performances, most notably by Rockwell.

Dave Cornford