Conviction

This is not an entirely bad movie and the issues it touches upon are certainly important. What is more, the acting is not brilliant but it could have been a lot worse. The score is not anything that stays in your memory a minute longer than the actual length of the movie but it is not repelling either. Then why do I dislike Conviction? It certainly lacks in a convincing and coherent plot. The murderer and ruthless criminal reading aloud Shakespeare's sonnets in a prison cell is just the first far-fetched scene. But then it gets even worse and more boring. If there is anything that will make me remember this film, it is the sentence spoken by the main character 'You are not born a n***er, you are made a n***er'. But these words could have been illustrated in a far more interesting way.

The movie is based on a true story about a young man (played by Omar Epps) in and out of the system. It does a good job portraying the system and rehabilitating yourself. I'm not sure what the previous comment was about exciting prison stuff. The only thing I can derive from that is something rather perverted. All-in-all, it makes a good moral attempt. The movie is excellent and is about setting higher standards for yourself and choosing the right path.

"Conviction" tells the success story of the late Carl Upchurch; a black man who was born to the ghetto, became a criminal, and then bootstrapped his way to prominence as a speaker, organizer, author, and activist for black causes. This Showtime production is a journeyman effort which dwells too much on Upchurch's rather ordinary misdeeds and too little on his extraordinary noble deeds. Okay stuff for anyone with an interest in Upchurch. Passable for all others. (C+)

This is a true story. Would you rather it told differently to make better viewing, or hear the tale as it really happened. Carl held the first gang summit ever. He got leaders of street gangs from all over the country to sit together in a Kansas city church to listen about how there is a better way to live their lives. After this meeting violent youth crimes were down accross the country . Not your typical action flick...but a helluva story. Look for a cameo of the real Carl Upchurch as a prison guard standing on the roof. I forget which scene, but he is holding a shotgun accross his chest.

I like Omar Epps, but he isn't that interesting in this movie. This movie is just too slow and the plot is just not entertaining. He gets out of jail, goes back, gets out again. Changes his life and tries to stop gang violence. That's a steep goal for an ex-con.

FINAL VERDICT: Rather boring. Nothing exciting even happens in prison.