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The Execution of Wanda Jean

Play trailer Poster for The Execution of Wanda Jean 2002 1h 27m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
82% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 90% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
"The Execution of Wanda Jean" chronicles the life-and-death battle of Wanda Jean Allen. By telling one woman's story, the film becomes an unforgettable exploration into one of America's most controversial moral and political dilemmas: the death penalty. "The Execution of Wanda Jean" is an unflinching investigation of the role that poverty, mental health, race, and sexuality play within the criminal justice system.

Critics Reviews

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Jonathan Foreman New York Post 09/12/2002
3/4
Compelling but self-undermining documentary. Go to Full Review
Julie Salamon New York Times 09/05/2002
3.5/5
Offers an unusual opportunity to observe the inequities in the death penalty, not just the inherent immorality but also the haphazard administration of it and public misperception of how the whole thing works. Go to Full Review
Michael Miller Village Voice 09/03/2002
As Allen's execution date closes in, the documentary gives an especially poignant portrait of her friendship with the never flagging legal investigator David Presson. Go to Full Review
Film Threat 12/06/2005
3/5
Apollo Guide 05/13/2005
60/100
Joshua Tanzer Offoffoff 03/10/2003
3/4
You will emerge with a clearer view of how the gears of justice grind on and the death report comes to share airtime alongside the farm report. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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02/22/2019 Compelling story told in a very raw way!!! It was very disturbing to see the death penalty being carried out even though Wanda did do some very bad things to get into the situation she was in, but it was very strange to see it take place!!! See more 06/04/2009 A very good documentary (other than one sequence that they obviously couldn't film but handled in kind of a cheesy way that undermined the incredibly grim subject matter). Harsh. See more Read all reviews
The Execution of Wanda Jean

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Movie Info

Synopsis "The Execution of Wanda Jean" chronicles the life-and-death battle of Wanda Jean Allen. By telling one woman's story, the film becomes an unforgettable exploration into one of America's most controversial moral and political dilemmas: the death penalty. "The Execution of Wanda Jean" is an unflinching investigation of the role that poverty, mental health, race, and sexuality play within the criminal justice system.
Director
Liz Garbus
Producer
Liz Garbus, Rory Kennedy
Production Co
Moxie Firecracker Films
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 15, 2002, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Nov 29, 2005
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.4K
Runtime
1h 27m