Georgia executed Troy Davis tonight, as his supporters claimed he was innocent of the murder for which he was executed. Davis was convicted of shooting and killing a young police officer who intervened in an altercation involving a homeless man and one of Davis’s friends. In the years since the 1989 crime, several witnesses who testified at trial have recanted their identification of Davis, and other witnesses have come forward to claim that someone else did the shooting. People from around the world fought to prevent the execution because of the questions about Davis’s guilt. Yesterday, the Georgia pardons board denied clemency, but through today, Davis’s attorneys were requesting the opportunity to have Davis take a lie detector test.
With the discovery of a number of innocent people on death row in recent years, there have also been questions about the guilt of some people who were executed. A number of media sources, including The New Yorker, raised questions about whether Texas executed an innocent man when it executed Cameron Todd Willingham. That case was based on questionable scientific evidence and has been prominent in the news because the governor who oversaw the execution, Rick Perry, is now running for president. At one point there was a commission that was reviewing the case, but the governor’s office instituted changes that limited the inquiry into the case.
A number of movies focus on the death penalty and executions, perhaps because the time leading up to an execution permits a large amount of drama on the screen. One movie that focused on questions about the innocence of a death row inmate is True Crime
{Contains spoilers, so stop reading here if you do not want to know about the ending of True Crime!}
Most of the movie is fairly traditional, so I understand why most critics and viewers did not get too excited about the movie. But if True Crime happens to be on television and it is near the end, I will watch it every time. The coda to the film, like the coda of the Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) and unlike the coda of Wyatt Earp (1994) (discussed previously), is quite beautiful and exceeds everything else in the film.
The movie follows its somewhat predictable route of having newspaper writer Clint Eastwood racing to try to stop the execution with the newly discovered evidence of innocence. The camera flashes between Eastwood and the execution as it begins. We see the lethal injection begin, and then the phone rings. The warden rushes to stop the execution but the injection has already started. The condemned is unconscious when they pull out the needle. But is he dead or alive?
Most movies would let us know right then what happened, with a tragic ending or a feel-good rescue. Instead, the beautiful coda to the film then begins. It is Christmas, and we see the grumpy Eastwood doing some Christmas shopping, exchanging some conversation with the sales person, where we learn that good things have happened to the character’s career. As Eastwood leaves the store, he looks across the way and sees the formerly condemned man, alive with his family. The two acknowledge each other across the way without words, showing respect for each other, and then go on with their lives. Diana Krall sings the haunting “Why Should I Care” and the movie ends. Below is the song’s video, which includes scenes from True Crime.
Unlike most films, and even the rest of True Crime, the coda is so subtle and unusual that it grabs your attention. Like the jazz song that plays, it conveys something complex, revealing more than words. I wish more movies had at least a few minutes of such intelligence.
A clip of the ending used to be on YouTube but it is no longer available, so below is the trailer for the film. Overall, although the movie is not great, it is a decent movie and worth renting at least just to watch the full ending.
But sometimes life does not come out like in the movies, as Tim Robbins’s character discovered while trying to make a death penalty movie in The Player (1992). Tonight, for Troy Davis, there was no Clint Eastwood rescue.
What do you think about Eastwood’s True Crime? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some Related Chimesfreedom Posts)
I agree this was not up to Eastwoods’ usual experienced acting but I think we have to blame the writers. Clint did his best with what is a subject that is always controversial. Crime and justice is so out of control this century and DNA testing, new evidence and the honest and best lawyers in the world are struggling. I’ve lost faith in it and one fact for sure; money talks! Motherboss Marr.