Urteil ohne Gerechtigkeit (TV Movie 1996)

Urteil ohne Gerechtigkeit: Directed by Tony Bill. With Sissy Spacek, David Strathairn, Arliss Howard, Janet Wright. Russell Gates is a Vietnam vet on death row for killing a policeman. His childhood sweetheart, Pam O’Brien, is stunned to learn this and does not believe he could commit such a crime. She writes to him much to the dismay of her husband Keith and becomes obsessed with the case, exploring every avenue that may still be open to the doomed man. The trips to the prison take a toll on both her marriage and her family.

“u0026quot;Beyond The Callu0026quot; is a good example of how strong, committed actors can get mileage out of a script that is both hackneyed and occasionally unbelievable.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSissy Spacek and the terrific David Strathairn are both in top form as a psychologically damaged Vietnam veteran on death row for the killing of a policeman, and the woman who tries to get him to plea for clemency and finds out that thereu0026#39;s more to the u0026quot;killingu0026quot; than meets the eye.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003enArliss Howard is also fine as her increasingly jealous husband, a Vietnam vet himself who has put much emotional energy keeping his war-related emotions under control, and feels nothing but contempt for a fellow vet who becomes a convicted criminal because he canu0026#39;t do the same. Yet this husband isnu0026#39;t quite the same by the time the film is over.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDespite these performances, the script is generally predictable and many of the scenes between Spacek and Strathairn would be mawkish in lesser hands. But these two are so attuned to each other as performers that you are moved nonetheless. The once big false note is a scene between Strathairn and Howard that may be necessary to bring about the desired changes in Howardu0026#39;s character, but itu0026#39;s completely unbelievable.”