The Unforgivable

The Unforgivable
Starring Sandra Bullock, Vincent D'Onofrio, Viola Davis, Jon Bernthal
Directed by Nora Fingscheidt

Lately, due to the increased fascination with true crime shows, Hollwood has tried to monopolize this popular trend by releasing films centering around juicy cases that hold exciting twists and turns, and to lackluster success. "The Unforgivable" - itself based on a three-episode miniseries called "Unforgiven" that aired in the UK - is one of those films, but somehow it tries to be so much more than that. Combining a movie about redemption with a lawyer drama and ending in a thrilling abduction sequence, "The Unforgivable" lives up to its name - it's completely unforgivable how it managed to try to unite so many different stories into a tight runtime, and drag down a couple Oscar-winning actresses in the process, along with other A-list celebrities. 

Twenty years after killing a sheriff who was about to take her home away from her and her young sister, Ruth Slater (Sandra Bullock) is released from prison for good behavior, under the watchful eye of her parole officer, Vincent Cross (Rob Morgan). While trying to acclimate back into the real world, Ruth finds a job and possible love interest in fellow worker Blake (Jon Bernthal), but she wishes more than anything to reconnect with her young sister Katie (Aisling Franciosi), who's been adopted and doesn't have many memories of her sister. Vincent forbids this because it's against the court order, but she finds aid in lawyer John Ingram (Vincent D'Onofrio) - whom lives in the house Ruth and her sister once lived in - and who agrees to help, to the chagrin of his wife Liz (Viola Davis). As Ruth tries to pick up the pieces of her shattered past, however, she's under constant surveillance from the dead sheriff's sons, who enact their own plan for revenge and retribution.

When you try to form one film based around a miniseries, you're bound to leave a lot on the cutting room floor, but that doesn't seem to be the case with director Nora Fingscheidt's effort - instead, the film gets three different stories to tell, and none of them done particularly well. It's not the worst thing I've seen this year, but it does something worse: it becomes unmemorable. If a film is great or a film is terrible, it's remembered for being one or the other, but for those so-so films, they're lost in history, and that's how "The Unforgivable" will ultimately end up, which is sad because anything starring Sandra Bullock and Viola Davis shouldn't be that way.

The first part of "The Unforgivable" centers around Ruth's redemption story and how she manages to pull herself out of being in prison for twenty years for being a cop killer, and finding a way to start a new life. She also wants to reconnect with her only living relative, but finds it nearly impossible due to a court order and strict adopted parents who don't want her near Katie (although, if you really think it through, Katie was five years old when Ruth got sent to prison, so twenty years later she's 25, and shouldn't have to be sheltered by her foster parents at this point). She endures the struggles of being labeled a cop killer and her life isn't glamorous in any sense of the word, but she did her time and deserves a clean break: too bad no one will give it to her.

The second part of the film focuses on a lawyer drama as Ruth hires John to work with her to get to see Katie, and that in itself doesn't make a lot of sense either, if not the fact that you chalk it up to good luck on Ruth's part. When she goes to the house she once lived in, John and his family now reside in it, and despite her obviously uncouth appearance, he allows her in his house with his wife and children. He then agrees to take on her case after she lied to him, but eventually coming clean when he found out the truth for himself. The result is a quick interaction between Ruth and Katie's foster parents, and as you can tell, it doesn't go very well - but again, like I said before, Katie is a grown adult by now and shouldn't have to rely on her foster parents to tell her who she can and can't see.

The third act consists of a convoluted plot to kidnap and kill Katie, set by the sons of the sheriff Ruth killed twenty years earlier. They play the traditional roles: the one is determined and driven to do it, while the other is subdued and unsure, and you can tell that the roles will soon be reversed. Not only does the plan not make any sense, but their execution of it is even dumber, and only adds to the mind-bogging ideas that the film tries to flush out, but fails on every level.

Sandra Bullock tries her hardest to maintain a strong performance as Ruth Slater, and she does an admirable job. She fully immerses herself in the role by going au-naturale, no makeup, and looking like an injured dog throughout most of the film, but still shows moments of brilliance. Likewise with Viola Davis, who tries to channel her "Fences" speech here, but to a very smaller degree. Vincent D'Onofrio and Jon Bernthal also perform to their types, and there's no moments that really stand out as memorable after the moment passes. Everyone, honestly, looks really bored and just wants it end, much like the viewers watching it.

In trying to tell three stories at once, "The Unforgivable" commits the unforgivable sin in cinema: being wholly forgettable, despite the strong pedigree starring in it, resulting in a "so what" feel once the credits thankfully start rolling.

The Score: D+