Dead Man Walking

Dead Man Walking centres on Matthew Poncelet, a man on death row in Louisiana for the killing of a young couple. With his execution approaching, he writes to a Catholic nun, Sister Helen Prejean, asking for help. She visits him in prison and becomes his spiritual adviser, pressing his appeals through the courts while also meeting his family and the parents of the victims. Their encounters force her to weigh her belief in his capacity for change against the demands of those who want him punished. Directed by Tim Robbins, it was his second film behind the camera, following Bob Roberts in 1992 and preceding Cradle Will Rock in 1999. Robbins also wrote the screenplay and produced. The cast is led by Susan Sarandon as Sister Helen and Sean Penn as Poncelet, with Robert Prosky, Raymond J. Barry, R. Lee Ermey and Celia Weston among the supporting roles. Around 68 cast members and 121 crew were credited. Dead Man Walking was released in December 1995 and runs 122 minutes. Made for about 11 million dollars, it earned roughly 80 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 7.5 from about 108,000 votes, while on TMDB it has 7.3 from a much smaller 1,541 votes.