Absolutely Fantastic

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

This is very moral based and has a purpose. So if you don't like a movie to hammer something into you, this may not be a movie for you to watch. Don't get me wrong, there is still a lot of tension and edge of your seat kind of stuff going on. Not to mention violence and drama about people who try living their lives, but have a lot of baggage.The psyche of people who have a tough job is really fragile. So when at the end you get the and this happened shortly after in real life, you probably should not be too surprised. And you probably won't be too surprised about the outcome of the movie anyway. The acting is good, the direction is good and if you don't mind court dramas with moral flavour, you could do worse

What detail surprised me? Normally this type of films, they usually take more along the racist road, but this time no, this time the film is not going around, white against black, if not all drifting towards a plea against the death penalty. The funny thing is that on all sides we see that this is requested, except for the defense lawyer.The truth is that it is not a bad movie, but it does not become a great movie, more than anything because I do not believe many of the things. The lawyer and the lawyer should not have passed the casting. She has neither strength nor anything and there are moments when I focus more on other aspects of her face than on her performance. The defendant is very content, but can lead not to believe it very easy.The films of trials are usually boring and must be done very well. This is not the case. Moments of judgment are not the best taken. I do not really like photography. When you try to put the light through the windows, the photograph is horrible. He does not know how to do it. The moments on the street look more like a movie for television than anything else.The management is not great either. It does not get boring, but it's very close. It is very repetitive. He does not know how to do anything but close-ups.You will see it and well you have not wasted the time, but almost

This beautifully filmed drama, set in apartheid era South Africa manages to be at once brutal and sensitive. Steve Coogan and Andrea Riseborough face each other in the trial of a psychologically broken prison guard, accused of a multiple murder. Graphic and harrowing at times, delicately picking an unconventional course to its conclusion. Effectively a period piece, convincingly set in 1980's Pretoria, filmed in Cape Town in pleasing detail. Centred in the courtroom, but repeatedly flashing back to the accused's past as a prison guard on death row and following Coogan's progress through the trial in his defence. The prison and execution scenes play out in sickening detail, with a host of convincing supporting actors. The courtroom too has several well observed characters, from the judge to the bereaved relatives. The accused guard is well played; too, too young, and a mental and emotional shell of a man, opening up painfully slowly during the piece. Coogan though is the star; at first reluctant, then intrigued and finally quite determined as the defence counsel. The camera holds him close in this very convincing portrayal. The whole film is beautiful, cleverly lit and stylish, with great attention to all the details of the time and the place. The Afrikaaner Warrant Officer quietly chilling, the courtroom relatives, glorious. A genuinely emotional and thought provoking film, touching on several aspects of the capital punishment debate. It alternately brought to mind Oscar Pistorius' trial and Billie Holiday's 'Strange Fruit'. Be prepared for mixed feelings at the end!

This movie is a nice vehicle for Steve Coogan and Andrea Riseborough. The film is about the old pre-Mandela South Africa and it does not illuminate any of the current issues they may face, so it could be called a period piece.This is a courtroom drama and we do not see Andrea's character outside the courtroom setting, which is a pity as it could have added some depth to the issues. There is a touch of depth added by the protagonist's tennis buddies.The story is moving but we know the steps to the end early and the movie just gets us there. There is a scene with Steve Coogan running along a beach, obviously this was to show he was troubled by the case but he was set up in the first scene as an anti-capital punishment campaigner and so he should not be shocked.