Movie Review - Clemency

There have been several notable films about prisons or the punishment part of the criminal justice system. A couple have focused on death row inmates and the issue of capital punishment. The main film in that regard was Dead Man Walking (1995). Those films mainly focus on the prisoners and the families or the effect on people on the outside. This film by female African-American, writer-director Chinonye Chukwu focuses on the prison staff and specifically a female warden and how this issue personally affects her and her life. It's obvious what that effect is going to be. It makes this film then more an acting vehicle for the actress playing the warden.

It's clear that this film is anti-capital punishment. The majority of this film is about the negative toll that capital punishment has, especially on those who have to carry it out or actually implement it. Now, the argument that capital punishment is bad because it makes the people who implement it feel bad or depressed isn't a solid argument because that argument could be applied to abortion clinic workers or even soldiers in war who have to kill.

The better argument, which is what this film does argue, is that the state is killing innocent men who were falsely convicted. That in a sense is also the easier argument. Dead Man Walking took the harder road and tried to argue against the death penalty but with a case where the prisoner wasn't innocent or falsely accused. He was guilty. Yet, it was more dramatically compelling because it makes for a stronger test of empathy and compassion. Caring about an innocent man is easier than caring about a guilty one.

Alfre Woodard (Luke Cage and Desperate Housewives) stars as Bernadine Williams, the black female warden of a prison. Her prison has several men on death row. It's not obvious what state she lives, but obviously it has to be a state with the death penalty. More than half the states in the United States have the death penalty. The film was shot in California, which does have the death penalty, but San Quentin is the only place with a death row. Bernadine's prison though isn't identified as San Quentin. Even if it were, it couldn't be taking place in the present. In March 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a moratorium on executions. There hadn't been an execution in California since 2006. Most of the reasons why the governor did so aren't really reflected here with the possible exception of one. Instead, the reasons here are more about Bernadine's emotional well-being or psychological well-being, which doesn't seem like enough.

The possible exception that is reflected here comes at the beginning of this film. The lethal injection protocol can be seen as "cruel and unusual punishment" in that it can be painful and torturous. Some legal challenges to the protocol was a part of why Newsom and other governors called a moratorium in their states. The opening for this film is Bernadine witnessing a lethal injection that doesn't go well or as smoothly as it should, resulting in some pain and torture. Yet, the film chalks up the execution not going well to the medical professional making mistakes or just human error. The medical professional can't find a proper vein for the needle. It's a compelling scene, but it's not representative of the issue that people have with the drug protocol for lethal injection procedures.

Aldis Hodge (Hidden Figures and Straight Outta Compton) co-stars as Anthony Woods, a death row inmate who was convicted of killing a police officer. It seems like he's at a point where he's out of appeals. His only hope is to get clemency from the governor. His lawyer has raised doubts about his guilt, doubts that weren't enough in trial. We're not sure if Anthony is innocent or not, but that's the strong implication, that he was falsely convicted. Earlier this year, Hodge played a man convicted of a crime he didn't commit in the film Brian Banks (2019). The dynamic was different, but that film did a better job of laying out the grander issues at play.

Some of those grander issues include the racial bias in the criminal justice system. There really isn't a racial component to this film. Yes, the cast is predominantly African-American but the cast could be predominantly white and it wouldn't fundamentally change the thrust or even the DNA of this film. That racial bias in the criminal justice system is a grander issue that could be applied to prisoners regardless of those on death row. When it comes to the grander issues that are more specific to prisoners on death row, this film ignores them. There are financial and economic reasons. While looking at the issue from a cost-benefit analysis standpoint might seem cold and callous, it is just as legitimate an argument that anything else. There's also the deterrent factor as an argument or lack thereof. None of these issues though are raised in this film.

Wendell Pierce (Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan and The Wire) also co-stars as Jonathan Williams, the husband of Bernadine. He also appears to be an English teacher in a local high school. He doesn't seem that old like in his early 50's, yet he's considering retiring from his job. He keeps insisting that his wife should also think about retiring. He urges her actually because he can see the negative toll that her job is having on her. He also sees the negative toll it's having on their marriage. He can see that she's unhappy or at least distant and detached. In a way, she has to be to do her job, but his concern is its spilling over into their personal lives. He wants her to leave that job as any concerned husband would and possibly should do.

On this point, the film is clear on what should happen. However, it would have been more resonant and more impactful or powerful, if Chukwu's film had explored and delved deeper. When asked on how she is handling it, Bernadine basically says she's just doing her job. Yet, the film never explores why she has this job in the first place. What drove her to get this job? Did she come upon this job by random chance or did she dream of working in a prison when she was younger? She doesn't seem to have children. Besides her husband, she doesn't seem to have any other family, at least not any nearby. She also doesn't seem to have any friends beyond one co-worker. Is all this a result of her job and her dedication to it or is it just a failing of the film to flesh her out? Either way, it doesn't allow us into Bernadine's head as much is needed to understand her beyond the superficial.

Rated R for some disturbing material and language.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 53 mins.

In Los Angeles and New York City, coming to select cities soon.