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About
A death row inmate turns for spiritual guidance to a local nun in the days leading up to his scheduled execution for the murders of a young couple.
Theatrical
Jan 2, 1996
DVD / Blu-ray
Oct 7, 1997
Box Office
$39.4M
Budget
$11.0M
Return
3.6x
Director
Producers
Music
Studio
Havoc, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Working Title Films, PolyGram Video, Gramercy Pictures
Keywords
prison
rape
nun
socially deprived family
penalty
death penalty
despair
death row
therapist
self-discovery
prison cell
court case
death sentence
doomed man
sentence
lethal injection
forgiveness
charity
mercy petition
rage and hate
unsociability
right and justice
court
cowardliness
catholic
angry
dreary
incredulous
depressing
bitter
callous
horrified
Cast
Full credits →S
Susan Sarandon
Sister Helen Prejean
S
Sean Penn
Matthew Poncelet
R
Robert Prosky
Hilton Barber
R
Raymond J. Barry
Earl Delacroix
R
R. Lee Ermey
Clyde Percy
C
Celia Weston
Mary Beth Percy
L
Lois Smith
Helen's Mother
S
Scott Wilson
Chaplain Farley
R
Roberta Maxwell
Lucille Poncelet
M
Margo Martindale
Sister Colleen
B
Barton Heyman
Captain Beliveau
S
Steve Boles
Sgt. Neal Trapp
N
Nesbitt Blaisdell
Warden Hartman
R
Ray Aranha
Luis Montoya
L
Larry Pine
Guy Gilardi
G
Gil Robbins
Bishop Norwich
K
Kevin Cooney
Governor Benedict
C
Clancy Brown
State Trooper
A
Adele Robbins
Nurse
M
Michael Cullen
Carl Vitello
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Quotes
See all →Seeking Forgiveness Before the End
Prison guard
Do you have any last words, Poncelet?
Matthew Poncelet
Yes, I do. Mr. Delacroix, I don't wanna leave this world with any hate in my heart. I ask your forgiveness for what I done. It was a terrible thing I done, taking your son away from you.
[pauses]
Clyde Percy
How about us?
[Softly to his wife]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Acknowledging Divine Identity and Human Struggles
Sister Helen Prejean
You are a son of God.
Matthew Poncelet
Thank you. I've never been called a son of God before. I've been called a son of a you-know-what plenty of times, but I've never been called a son of God.
[in tears; laughs slightly]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
