Clemency Review

June 7, 2010 by Sharon Foss

Clemency cover Clemency Review Clemency
Review By Sharon Foss

When a movie begins with girls running and screaming through the woods, I’m happy. It grabs my attention and keeps me watching. Usually the beginning of a movie is my time to multitask—check my e-mail if I’m watching on the computer, put things away while watching on the TV—because so little happens that I find it unnecessary to give it my full attention. But the opening of Clemency definitely caught my attention and had me waiting for the next scene.

The murders that surround the premise of Clemency occurred on the Blue Ridge Mountains. Arthur Poe was convicted of murdering a group of people and sentenced to death. However, the state’s governor stepped in and granted Poe clemency, and he was sentenced to stay at an institution for the criminally insane.

Our first view of Poe occurs when reporter Sarah Morton (Maury Morgan, Masterpieces) appears at the institution to interview him for her local newspaper. While she is warned by the warden that this man is beyond dangerous, Morton takes on the task.

She manages to get this villain to talk, which is more than the staff is able to do, and she quickly learns that Poe is the devil in disguise.

But it turns out that Morton has a lot more at stake in this interview than a subjective piece about a man who was granted clemency. Is she even a reporter…or someone seeking vengeance?

The only thing amiss about Clemency is the fact that it is only 18 minutes long. I wanted more. Charlie and Chris Frazier, along with writer/director Joseph Albanese, told a tale of such intensity that the ending left me wanting a full-length feature about Poe. I want to know why Poe committed the murders. Why did he kill? How did he get caught? I want more Poe! I want more Poe because Cris D’Annunzio (Chasing 3000, American Gangster) delivers Poe on a delicious cake plate of creepiness with a side of sociopath.

While Poe may be a character who carried the devil inside, he certainly was not written with an understanding of human nature. Sisterhood is a powerful bond and Clemency will show you just how strong the ties that bind can be.

Best line of movie: “You’re only a victim after choosing to let yourself become one.”

http://www.clemencythemovie.com/

(Review by Sharon Foss – Original Post at www.terrortube.com)