THE CHAMBER

Click on title above for website of movie

Director: James Foley
Written by: John Grisham (novel),William Goldman & Chris Reese(screenplay)
Stars:Chris O'Donnell, Gene Hackman,Faye Dunaway & Lela Rochon

I broke one of my own rules and watched a painful drama. It was accidental. I noticed the name of the movie on HBO. I had the book by John Grisham but never read it. Probably donated it to VA hospital, whatever.

Since I have enjoyed his other novels and the movies based on them, I let it play while I was playing on the computer. After the start of the movie, it got my undivided attention. Compelling. Even when I knew what was coming & the suspense built up, I couldn't stop watching.

This was a damn good movie. It pulled no punches. Brought up some serious issues. Very thought provoking. Be warned it uses some of the words that have become politically incorrect in order to stay true-to-life.

It was about a young lawyer (Chris O'Donnell) who seeks out his family whom he has not been close to and decides to take on the death penalty (in the South) and petition for an appeal for his grandfather (Gene Hackman) who was raised in the KKK and sentenced to death for murder. The movie takes us through a great deal of emotional scenes. There is some violence but the real drama is mostly psychological and emotional. The flashbacks are intense but bearable.

Chris O'Donnell and the supporting cast were good and held their own with the big star Gene Hackman. The days are over, I suspect, when Hackman is in every other movie made. So he puts a big performance into the roles he has. You can tell he's still got it.

So does Faye Dunaway. Excellent. Best I've seen her. Great role.

I recommend it so try to catch it on HBO or rental.