LAST DANCE

"LAST DANCE"
(1996) (Sharon Stone, Rob Morrow) (R)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Heavy	Moderate	Heavy	Moderate	Moderate

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Moderate	None	Mild	None	Extreme

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Moderate	Mild	Minor	Moderate	Moderate

QUICK TAKE:: Drama: A young man tries to prevent the execution of a woman on death row.

PLOT:: Cindy Liggett (SHARON STONE) has thirty days before she's executed for a double murder committed when she was a teenager. Rick Hayes (ROB MORROW) is a young man of a privileged background who's never had a real job in his life. His brother John (PETER GALLAGHER), the chief of staff for the state's Governor (JACK THOMPSON), gets him a job at the clemency office. Working with Sam Burns (RANDY QUAID), Rick must review death row cases to present to the Governor allowing him to decide whether to stay the pending executions. Rick gets Liggett's case, and as he digs deeper into the trial that ended in her conviction, he finds discrepancies that may free her, as well as a growing attachment to this woman he believes no longer resembles that murderer from years ago.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: Unless they're fans of Sharon Stone, it's doubtful that this death row film will intrigue them.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R: For violence, language and some drug content.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: SHARON STONE plays a woman on death row who killed two people as a teenager while high on crack cocaine. While she seems to have redeemed her ways, she certainly isn't a good role model.
ROB MORROW plays the idealistic case worker who thinks that since she's changed her ways, she shouldn't be executed. He also grows attached to her and thus has somewhat of a personal stake in keeping her from being executed.; ROB MORROW plays the idealistic case worker who thinks that since she's changed her ways, she shouldn't be executed. He also grows attached to her and thus has somewhat of a personal stake in keeping her from being executed.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

OUR TAKE: 3 out of 10: In what appears to be the new buzz story in Hollywood, this movie fell into the middle between two bigger and similar stories, "Dead Man Walking" and "The Chamber." If you haven't seen either of those two, this might make for an interesting, thought provoking film. If you've seen "Dead Man Walking," this film pales in comparison, and also brings nothing new to the story other than having the inmate be a woman. As in all these stories, the same plot if followed. A new, inexperienced person tries to help a hardened, tough death row inmate who doesn't want any help. But soon the criminal softens and the attorney/social worker/nun forms an attachment to that person and makes it their personal goal to save them. The only drama left is whether the person lives or dies, but in this case, Stone's performance is too stereotypical and you don't really care for her one way or the other. If they're going to continue to make this type of story, they need a very complex character as the inmate, one who could be innocent or guilty, that tears at us as to what might happen to them. In this story we're supposed to feel "sorry" for the inmate because the fact that she was high on crack cocaine while murdering two people was purposefully left out of the trial. Big deal. Are we to feel that it was okay for her to do that since she was on drugs? C'mon, give us something more complex with an interesting moral/ethical dilemma behind it. As it is, you won't really care whether she lives or dies. And thus we give this one just a 3 out of 10.

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:: Obviously a story about executing a death row inmate should raise the warning flags for most parents. Only their more mature kids should be allowed to see this one and it could bring about interesting, thought provoking conversations on the issue. Regarding the content, there are the murders to begin with, which are partially seen in several flashbacks with some beating and bloodletting occurring. There's a lot of talk about drugs being used during the murder, and there's one flashback scene where the two killers are seen smoking crack cocaine. Rick is seen in bed with his "girlfriend," implying that they slept together, but no nudity or activity is seen. A scene in strip bar shows bar buttocks and is sexually suggestive as is a line asked of why Rick is so involved in saving Cindy. Profanity is extreme with 10 "f" words and a moderate assortment of others. If you think your kids are old enough to see this one, we encourage you to read the category listings before allowing them to do so.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: Sam wants to know why Rick showed up late and smelling of wine for his job interview.
Rick drinks beer while eating pizza.
People drink wine at a reception.
Rick and a woman drink beer in his apartment.
It's mentioned that Cindy and her accomplice were up for two days straight while on crack cocaine. Others say she was using "smack" (heroin) at the age of 14 and that she got into shooting up because that's what her mother did.
Cindy and her accomplice are seen in a flashback smoking crack cocaine.
Cindy's accomplice tells Rick that they were smoking "weed" (marijuana) and drinking beer on the day of the murders.
A cop mentions that Cindy was picked up at the age of 14 for drunk and disorderly conduct.
Wine is consumed at a reception and the Governor tells Rick to pour himself a "good, stiff drink."

BLOOD/GORE: Photos of the double murder are seen on occasions and show the bloody murder victims.
There are a few flashbacks to the murder scene. Cindy is seen repeatedly beating a woman with a crowbar and blood is seen splattering onto her and the walls. A man is also hit and falls through a window and is very bloody.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: Obviously the murderers display both types of attitudes.
It's mentioned that Cindy and her accomplice robbed homes when they were teenagers (and had robbed twenty homes during the summer when she was 14).
Another death row inmate (a black male) thinks that the pardons from the governor are racially motivated. After that man's pardoned, Rick wonders if the Governor let him off to "get the black vote."

FRIGHTENING SCENES: The short flashbacks of the murder will be tense to viewers.
The preparations leading up to the execution by lethal injection and whether Cindy is executed or not are tense.

GUNS/WEAPONS: Although conventional weapons aren't used, Cindy uses a crowbar to bludgeon two people to death. Since deaths occur, this category gets the moderate rating.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "Nuts" and "Balls" (testicles), "Pisses," "Idiot," "Shut up," "Whore," "Screwed up," "Bastard," "Scum," and "Bitch."
Using drugs and then committing crimes (breaking and entering, robbery and murder).

JUMP SCENES: None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): There is a mild amount of suspenseful music in this movie.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): None.

PROFANITY: 10 "f" words (1 used sexually, 2 with the prefix "mother"), 5 "s" words, 4 slang terms involving male genitals (2 "d" words and 1 "c*ck" and "c*cksucker"), 11 hells, 7 damns, 3 "ass" words, 1 SOB, and 4 uses of "God damn" and 1 use of "My God" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY: Rick and a woman are seen in bed, implying that they slept together, but no nudity or sexual activity is seen.
Rick goes to talk to a friend of Cindy's at a strip joint. She's a stripper and suggestively dances for him and her bare buttocks are seen. She then tells him that for five dollars he can see her "kitty cat" (slang for another word for her genitals).
Cindy's accomplice (in prison) wonders about Rick's devotion to her and asks, "Is she sucking your c*ck?"

SMOKING: Sam smokes on several occasions.
A variety of other people smoke in four other scenes (cigarettes and one cigar).

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: Cindy mentions that her mother died when Cindy was sixteen.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: The death penalty.
Whether someone who did something bad in the past, but who has changed since then, should still be punished for that crime.

VIOLENCE: There are a few flashbacks of the murder scene. Cindy is seen repeatedly beating a woman with a crowbar and blood is seen splattering onto her and the walls. A man is also hit and falls through a window and is very bloody.
An inmate friend of Cindy's is in prison for killing her two husbands.
Cindy's accomplice (in prison) attacks Rick, head butts and then punches him several times until he's restrained by the guards.
Sam talks about a clemency case involving a man who murdered three people and then had his execution botched. He describes the man starting to burn, his knees fusing together and smoke rising from his body.
Cindy hits the guards in the execution chamber.
An inmate is executed by lethal injection.

Reviewed November 8, 1996

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