Hilary Swank, clearly angling for yet another Oscar run(she's won two already) stars as the steely, confident Betty Anne. Ever since she was a child there has been only one constant: her brother, Kenny(Sam Rockwell). Some would call Kenny shiftless, certainly a petty criminal and a clear target for the single-minded police force in the little town of Ayer, Massachusetts. Constantly arrested and subsequently released for minor offenses, Kenny has tense but friendly relationship with the cops. Most of them, anyway. When a brutal murder takes place nearby, one that he's not so friendly with(Melissa Leo) targets him as suspect #1. After being railroaded by a cheap, lazy lawyer, Kenny is sent away to prison for the rest of his life.
Betty Anne resolves to to do whatever it takes to get her brother out. Flashbacks to their turbulent childhood capture the way the two siblings looked out for and protected each other during the harshest times. So when Kenny's appeals were used up, and he attempts to commit suicide in prison, she not only makes him promise to never do it again but realizes that if she gives up hope so will he. A high school dropout, she earns her degree then begins studying for college. The strain of her decision instantly has a negative impact on her morose husband, who thinks she's wasting her time. It's just the beginning, because college is only the first step in her plan, as she must then head to law school and pass the bar exam. From there, she can take up his case herself
It's an incredible, courageous story. One that suits Swank's natural charms perfectly. She has the ability to exude inner strength more clearly than anybody, and you instantly want her to succeed in whatever she's attempting. Sam Rockwell is solid in the quieter moments, in particular opposite Swank and later on opposite Ari Graynor as his estranged daughter. The supporting cast is all very efficient, from Juliette Lewis(her little baked bean teeth will curl your stomach) to Minnie Driver as Betty Anne's best friend. That's the problem. They're just...efficient.
Nothing stands out as spectacular about Conviction, and part of that has to do with the story itself. The script is tight but uninspired. Perhaps it's because the journey just isn't all that interesting. We know how it's going to play out, when that goal is achieved you can't help but feel overjoyed. But what happened along the way? Not a heck of a lot. A lot of scenes of Betty Anne digging through books and begging for locked away evidence from the crime scene. We don't even get much of her going through law school. That would've been the stuff we really needed to see. Her perseverance, and fighting on even when she's lost everything around her. When it seems the most hopeless that's when we need to see how she pushed through it. That's never really presented to us in any substantial way. The most effective scenes for me were with Betty Anne and Kenny as children, where we get to see the groundwork for their close bond as adults.
A number of characters appear to have it in for Kenny. One being the cop who targeted him from day one. The other being real life politician Martha Coakley(who we never see in the film). Neither of these characters are active participants. We only see the cop a couple of times. It might not have been reality, but maybe having someone for Betty Anne to actually do battle with would have pushed this story into another gear.
Conviction features a strong cast, and one definite Oscar contending performance by Hilary Swank. In many ways, this is a story that needs to be heard. Betty Anne's accomplishment is a mighty one. It's just unfortunate that the film version is simply too small to properly capture it.
