--- title: "Dead Man Walking: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/dead-man-walking/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/dead-man-walking" critics_score: 84 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Dead Man Walking (1995): what the critics said Critics' score 84 from 8 reviews: 7 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are almost uniformly warm. Most critics take the film as a fair, even-handed treatment of capital punishment that refuses to argue one side, and they credit Tim Robbins, as writer and director, with a clear step up in maturity and craft from his earlier work. The praise settles on the two central performances: Susan Sarandon’s nun and, most often, Sean Penn’s condemned man, whom several reviews single out for making a repellent character human without asking us to forgive him. The reservations are few and the spread is narrow. Some critics find the film austere to the point of coolness, and others note that its power is emotional rather than argued. The one real dissent comes from The Independent, which calls it hollow and self-conscious, well acted in its intimate scenes but more likely to confirm what viewers already think than to unsettle it. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 4/4. 12 January 1996. The film confronts capital punishment fairly from all sides without shortcuts or manipulation, while also being absorbing and technically superb. It stands out as a rare spiritual drama centered on the performances of Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/dead-man-walking-1996) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Rating NYT Critic’s Pick. 29 December 1995. The critic highlights the film's courageous and hard look at capital punishment issues through exceptional casting and performances. It singles out Sean Penn's unrepentant portrayal of the convict and the nun's eye-opening experiences for praise. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/29/movies/film-review-a-condemned-killer-and-a-crusading-nun.html) ## Variety — Emanuel Levy Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 17 December 1995. The critic calls it a quantum leap for Robbins as writer-director and a mature, well-crafted intimate drama. It singles out the superb acting by Sarandon and Penn and the balanced, multi-perspective approach to the material for praise. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1995/film/reviews/dead-man-walking-1200444063/) ## Empire — Angie Errigo Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The review highlights the film's even-handed exploration of the death penalty debate through strong performances by Sarandon and especially Penn, who humanizes a repulsive character. Robbins' direction is praised for forcing viewers to confront moral questions without easy answers or polemic. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/dead-man-walking-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 29 December 1995. The critic describes the film as an exploratory and dispassionate examination of capital punishment with austere gravity. It singles out the strong, non-theatrical acting by Penn and Sarandon for praise. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-12-29-ca-18942-story.html) ## The New Yorker — Terrence Rafferty Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 1996. The movie explores the realities of capital punishment through a mix of drama and polemic drawn from Sister Helen Prejean's experiences. Its power rests on Sean Penn's performance revealing a salvageable soul in the condemned man. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1996/01/08/amazing-grace) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 29 March 2012. The film offers a tough, balanced take on capital punishment and redemption that avoids special pleading while delivering a brave, intelligent and very moving story. It singles out the vivid excellence of the performances, especially Sean Penn's portrayal of the condemned man and Susan Sarandon's nun. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/dead-man-walking) ## The Independent — Adam Mars-Jones Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 28 March 1996. The critic sees Dead Man Walking as an improvement on Robbins' prior directorial work but still somewhat hollow and self-conscious as a serious film about capital punishment. It excels in its intimate two-hander performances by Sarandon and Penn but ultimately confirms rather than challenges viewers' preconceptions through emotional impact over intellectual debate. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-mercy-he-sought-and-mercy-he-found-1344468.html) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/dead-man-walking.md