In 2002, pro-death penalty Illinois Governor George Ryan is at the end of his term. A group of Northwestern student does a class project and exonerates death row inmates. The Chicago Tribune writes about the story and Ryan comes to question the infallibility of the death sentence. Ryan claims 13 are released with 12 executed. The system has become no better than a coin flip. He institutes a clemency board to review all of the convictions. The movie examines the history of the death penalty from its use against minorities, the 1972 Supreme Court case abolishing it, the 1976 case reinstating it and various convicts facing that final walk.It's a compelling and important issue. It's also a fascinating moment in time for this issue. This has plenty of information. However it's not much more than a TV investigative report. It's very scattered. It needs to concentrate on fewer people. The doc needs to concentrate on that university class and their cases and Governor Ryan. Some of the convicts seem to be presented as innocent but they are just as easily be lying.

may be some spoilers...kirsten johnson, one of two directors for this film, was also a cinematographer on fahrenheit 9/11 and derrida, so she's a talent to watch. this documentary is similar to thin blue line or brother's keeper, but takes a more systemic, macro view of the issue. it focuses on the governor of illinois' struggle with whether or not to commute all death penalty sentences. the film saves that decision for the end and builds the argument against the death penalty using a two-pronged attack - it highlights both the ethical and systemic problems. the film convincingly demonstrates the fact that the death penalty is largely applied to the poor and people of color, and shows dozens of cases which were overturned - some only because college classes took up cases as class projects. there is a token effort made to show the opinions of the other side. captures some emotional footage including one hearing in which the parents of a murderer and his victim are in the same room. the victim's father makes his plea to the court for the death penalty and turns to the mother of the murderer and says "i'm sorry, but i can't forgive your son for what he did. i just want him to die." she says she understands and feels horrible, but still doesn't think it's right to kill her son in retaliation. the hero of the film is governor ryan who, despite having orgins as a small town republican, honestly weighed the facts and made an informed and gutsy decision. thumbs up to him and this film. B+.

Riveting documentary that explores the flaws found in the Illinois criminal justice system and how the governor, George Ryan, was left to singlehandely decide the fate of over 150 Death Row inmates. The filmmakers superbly tell the tale of how local journalism students discovered multiple people sentenced to death in Illinois were innocent. As the stunningly emotional clemency hearings are held, the film takes a step further, exploring the whole ugly issue of the death penalty in the United States. The depth and complexity of the subject matter will be appreciated by those interested in sociology and law enforcement, but the film's real draw is its powerful human drama.9/10

This is one of those amazing documentaries that looks like it'd be deadly dull 'on paper' and then manages to completely blow your mind as it comes off the big screen. In an amazing turn of events a pharmacist turned politician decides to look deeper than the statistics, and investigate the cases of every person currently on death row in Illinois. His reason for doing so is mainly due to the efforts of some students in a journalism class who began to re-stage cases histories as part of a school project and found out that many of the death row convicts were innocent beyond the shadow of a doubt. Is the justice system biased against the poor? Or people of color?? OR is it merely inadequate due to the tremendous pressures placed on prosecutors to resolve high profile case??? In any event, what the Governor of Illinois attempts to do as he completes his term of office is the most amazingly humane investigation ever undertaken. If every governor in the USA would re-evaluate the death row penal system the way Illinois' George Ryan did, we wouldn't need a Supreme Court to decide these types of issues at all. This is a MUST-SEE documentary that at this time has no USA distributor. (go figure?) Governor Ryan's decision is the perfect ending to a perfectly made documentary, here's hoping everyone gets to see this film (someday).