Deadline

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Deadline

2004

1h 33m

Documentary

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Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

13 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

In 2000, Illinois Gov. George Ryan ordered a moratorium on the death penalty after university students uncovered new evidence proving the innocence of 13 men on death row. This documentary follows the hearings held by a panel Ryan appointed to study the issue and interviews activists, scholars and prisoners, while examining the history of the American death penalty. As Ryan's time in office comes to an end, he must decide what steps to take to reform the judicial system.

Anita Gates

New York Times

Not as dynamic as it should be, given the punch of the story it tells, but it makes its points.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 1, 2004

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V.A. Musetto

New York Post

So potent, it could change the mind of even the most staunch defender of capital punishment.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 1, 2004

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Ben Kenigsberg

Village Voice

Deadline delivers a routine but effective case against capital punishment.

Sep 28, 2004

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Doris Toumarkine

Film Journal International

Impressively take[s] on a hugely important and perennially contentious issue.

Mar 1, 2007

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Donald J. Levit

ReelTalk Movie Reviews

The age-old emotion and complexity that surround capital punishment are ably captured, unfancied-up, by Chevigny and Johnson..

Oct 2, 2004

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Ken Fox

TV Guide

The reasoning on both sides of the debate is by now all too familiar, but rarely has the argument against the death penalty been made so articulately, or so poignantly.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 1, 2004

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Audience Member

Interesting documentary on the Governor of Illinois' review of all cases of death row inmates in the state after one Northwestern class finds evidence to overturn 3 death sentences in a school year. A legal system obviously flawed.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Deep stuff here, raising the diffucult question of, is it better to execute the truly evil and accept that some innocents may get caught in the fire, or spare all the lives to avoid the atrocity of condemning an innocent person.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A little dry maybe, and a bit too sprawling in scope perhaps, but Deadline presents a compelling case about why the death penalty is a bad idea, whether the convicted are guilty or not.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A compelling subject but the documentary could have been better executed. It questions the justice system and inequality between the rich and poor in a democratic judicial system. how much do our emotions and prejudices play in influencing the judicial system that is supposed to be democratic. A worthy watch at least to ponder on who is being punished for who's crime.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

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Audience Member

one decent thing a very corrupt politician accomplished before leaving office was to abolish capital punishment. the system is flawed and the death penalty is not a deterrent for crime.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Sort of like when you assemble an essay at the last minute by stringing together paragraph-long quotes with flimsy segueways in between, hoping the immensity of the source material will carry you to a passing grade.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

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Katy Chevigny

Director

Kirsten Johnson

Director

Kirsten Johnson

Cinematographer

Kate Hirson

Film Editing

Carol Dysinger

Film Editing

Dan Marocco

Music

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Synopsis

In 2000, Illinois Gov. George Ryan ordered a moratorium on the death penalty after university students uncovered new evidence proving the innocence of 13 men on death row. This documentary follows the hearings held by a panel Ryan appointed to study the issue and interviews activists, scholars and prisoners, while examining the history of the American death penalty. As Ryan's time in office comes to an end, he must decide what steps to take to reform the judicial system.

Director: Katy Chevigny, Kirsten Johnson
Producer: Dallas Brennan
Production Co: Arts Engine, Big Mouth Productions
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 13, 2017
Runtime: 1h 33m