***Powerful message in a melancholic drama bogged down by un-real contrivances and other issues***

A father and son (Billy Bob Thornton and Heath Ledger) are correctional officers in Louisiana who live with their father, a former corrections officer and hateful racist (Peter Boyle). After overseeing the execution of a black man (Sean 'Diddy' Combs) a couple of tragedies compel the father, Hank (Thornton), to meet the struggling ex-wife of the executed man (Halle Berry).

The cast, locations, score and directing are all excellent. The problem is the contrived script, which tends to focus on the worst in humanity and sometimes creates a feeling of surreal un-reality. As far as the former goes, the first half features ugly racism, prostitution (and the corresponding overt sex scene), hate, a prison execution, an unforeseen suicide and a sudden hit-and-run. If you can handle all that in the first 55 minutes, you might appreciate this movie.

Some of these sequences work (the prostitute scene and the execution) and some don’t (the racism, suicide and hit-and-run). The latter ones have a sense of unreality either because of dubious writing or weak execution, or both. Take, for instance, the racist remarks by the old patriarch (Boyle). They come off unbelievable and laughable (or maybe they wanted them to come off laughable?). With better writing/acting/directing they would’ve worked. Or take the hit-and-run: it’s totally off-camera; and the segue into the aftermath is weak. The viewer is left asking, “What just happened? Did I miss something?” As for the suicide, it was just unconvincing in more than one way.

Halle won an Oscar for her performance, but I found her miscast. She was too white, too intelligent and too young/gorgeous for the role. As for being “too white,” her son would’ve had lighter skin. In regards to being “too intelligent,” when she has a long talk with Hank on the couch I didn’t buy her character. It came across as an obviously enlightened Berry ACTING uneducated and low class. As for being too young/hot, are we to believe she’s been drinkin’ and smokin’ for ELEVEN YEARS waiting for her former husband to be put to death without any dudes sniffin’ around and no worse for the wear? She should’ve been made up to look older or, at least, more drained. Instead, she looks fresh and thoroughly beautiful from head-to-toe.

Despite all these considerable negatives, the movie conveys a well thought-out message and contains some worthy intricacies, not to mention it refuses idiotic political correctness. For instance, the prisoner honestly admits what he did was wrong and accepts his fate as just, even while he’s clearly repentant. Moreover, the wife wants nothing to do with him and only visits for the sake of their son.

A critic wrongly argued that a certain character was a hardcore racist and wouldn’t have such a “sudden change of heart.” Well, this critic wasn’t watching closely. At the beginning of the movie this character was well into the process of metamorphosizing from his father’s odious mindset. Yes, he does something hateful with his rifle near the opening, but this was a PERFORMANCE for his dad who was peering through the window with approval. In short, the hateful patriarch still exercised his insufferable iron will over the family even while he was restricted to a wheelchair and stroller. The film’s about freeing oneself of that power and that hate; and much more.

The movie runs 1 hour, 51 minutes and was shot in Laplace, Louisiana, and Louisiana State Penitentiary, Angola.

GRADE: C+/B-