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Trial by Fire

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2:24

Trial by Fire

R

Released May 17, 2019

2h 7m

Drama

Biography

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Popcornmeter

63%

Tomatometer

70 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

Cameron Todd Willingham, a poor, uneducated heavy metal devotee who has a violent streak and a criminal record, is convicted of arson-related triple homicide in 1992. During his 12 years on death row, Elizabeth Gilbert, an improbable ally, uncovers questionable methods and illogical conclusions in his case and battles with the state to expose suppressed evidence that could save him.

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Critics Consensus

Trial by Fire has a worthy -- and heartbreaking -- story to tell, but this well-acted dramatization is undermined by its aggressively manipulative approach.

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Clarisse Loughrey

Independent (UK)

Trial by Fire... forces Willingham through a kind of poetic transformation.

Rated: 2/5

Dec 10, 2020

Full Review

Ty Burr

Boston Globe

Powerful stuff, but unpowerfully told, in part because the energies in "Trial by Fire" are split between proving Todd Willingham's innocence and building an argument against the death penalty no matter what the verdict.

Rated: 1.5/4

May 24, 2019

Full Review

David Edelstein

New York Magazine/Vulture

The movie is painstakingly well made and murderously hard to sit through.

May 20, 2019

Full Review

M.N. Miller

Ready Steady Cut

Unbroken‘s Jack O’Connell carries Trial by Fire and gives a combustible turn as an unlikeable man who loved his children dearly, but who can’t get out of his own way.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 22, 2022

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Kat Hughes

THN

The intricate and emotional beats are played out beautifully on screen by Jack O'Connell and Laura Dern.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 7, 2020

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Steven Prokopy

Third Coast Review

Trial by Fire is beautifully acted, especially by Dern, who plays a woman who is looking for purpose while also trying to raise her kids right, even though they don't always believe in what she's doing.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 28, 2020

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Mario V

Good acting, good plot, good movie

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/28/25

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Luis A

The plot goes at a good pace up to the moment when Laura Dern begins to believe the story of Tod, and after a good detective/attorney good things show up in the horizon. Very well directed and performed…

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/29/25

Full Review

Aldo G

A well told tearjerker by a American filmmaker, Edward Zwick, who rarely gets the praise he deserves.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/09/25

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Ryan eko P

We’ll done, but so sad and upsetting it’s hard to watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/05/25

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Tyson C

We’ll done, but so sad and upsetting it’s hard to watch.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/27/25

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Tatiana H

Trial by fire was a good movie. I did not know this was based on a true story. I think the movie was quite interesting especially because I took a class on the dead penalty. I like how it highlighted what days on dead row could feel like. I enjoyed the humility aspect through the eyes of “criminals”. I would recommend this movie to anyone interested in drama , real life or crime.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/25/25

Full Review

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Edward Zwick

Director

Jack O'Connell

Cameron Todd Willingham

Laura Dern

Elizabeth Gilbert

Emily Meade

Stacy Willingham

Jeff Perry

Hurst

Jade Pettyjohn

Julie Gilbert

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Trial by Fire: Trailer 1

2:24

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Synopsis

Cameron Todd Willingham, a poor, uneducated heavy metal devotee who has a violent streak and a criminal record, is convicted of arson-related triple homicide in 1992. During his 12 years on death row, Elizabeth Gilbert, an improbable ally, uncovers questionable methods and illogical conclusions in his case and battles with the state to expose suppressed evidence that could save him.

Director: Edward Zwick
Producer: Edward Zwick, Allyn Stewart, Kipp Nelson, Alex Soros
Screenwriter: Geoffrey Fletcher
Distributor: Roadside Attractions
Production Co: Roadside Attractions, Universal Studios Inc.
Rating: R (Disturbing Images|Brief Nudity|Language Throughout|Sexual Material|Some Violence)
Genre: Drama, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 17, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 30, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $143.3K
Runtime: 2h 7m

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