Academy Award (R) winner* Forest Whitaker and Eric Bana deliver riveting performances in this tense thriller based on real events. When Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Whitaker) is appointed to head a nationwide investigation, he's summoned to a maximum-security prison by a notorious murderer seeking clemency (Bana). Inside the brutal prison walls, Tutu is drawn into a dangerous, life-changing battle with the cunning criminal in this captivating film from Oscar (R) nominated director** Roland Joffé.
Several powerful narratives vie for supremacy in the political drama "The Forgiven," but this sluggishly paced film's disparate parts never come together as a compelling whole.
The Forgiven plunges us into the heart of post-apartheid chaos, where we see and feel the hurt, fear, and rage that had to be aired before the healing could begin.
The Forgiven tackles its important political and social issues in an overly talky fashion. The film has its merits, but it represents a significant comedown for the director of such classics as The Mission and The Killing Fields.
At least gives the Commission's heroic chairman, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, his due by placing him front and center in its history - though it's debatable whether Forest Whitaker's glazed impersonation should be considered an honour.
No attempt is made to win over the audience. This welcome absence of sentimentality allows us to experience Tutu's own crisis of faith as he attempts to reconcile this man's actions with his bedrock belief in forgiveness.
