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The movie is painstakingly well made and murderously hard to sit through.
and that the burn was devised to leave the shape of a pentagram behind (because Satan worship).
They arent looking to frame Willingham for a crime he didnt commit.
Its important that Zwick isnt cynical about the prosecutions motives, because theyre beside the point.
Even if most law enforcers (police, FBI, CIA, NCIS, CSI, etc.)
The lie is that theyre always competent at what they do.
The dramatic wrinkle inTrial by Fireis that Willingham (who goes by Todd) isnt a good guy.
Hes a philandering, alcoholic ex-con with a history of hitting his wife, Stacy (Emily Meade).
OConnell has played prisoners inStarred UpandUnbroken,so weve heard his primal howls of pain and rage before.
OConnell makes it plain that even if Willingham were exonerated, hed never be free of guilt.
What she brings, of course, is much louder than that.
Shes a great detective actress; she externalizes thought.
Gilberts desires are platonic but no less passionate.
(Its a superb performance.)
Chris Coy underplays beautifully as the guard whose sadism slowly yields to compassion.
(His monologue on the history of cretinous belief systems is a thing of beauty.)
Zwick does careful, unsensational work.
I confess I couldnt watch most of the death-chamber scene.
There was nowhere to run.
And thats not just because detectives, medical examiners, and attorneys are so often incompetent.
