a conscience-shaking and riveting drama

Rating: Null/10 (28 November 2004)

The power of this story is its being real, apart from the superb acting; Daniel Day-Lewis proves again his boundless believability and versatility, Pete Postlethwait is a touching portrait of undying love and fidelity to his son and Emma Thompson plays a very convincing role as the young and earnest attorney who fights for justice against the unlawful system. Although the movie is based on Conlon's autobiographical book, this is not only a political film in the sense we would expect it to be; the tragedy of two innocents arrested and convicted serves only as a background for an intimate reflection on father and son relationship in a movie that finally lies midway between a prison movie and a family drama.