Arresting performances give 'Conviction' its power

The performances are better than the material in Tony Goldwyn's fact-based drama “Conviction, and the material was pretty good to begin with.

“Conviction (a great title for its obvious double meanings) traces the odyssey of Betty Anne Waters, a single mother and high school dropout who figured the only way her brother would ever get out of jail for a murder he didn't commit would be if she went to law school, became an attorney, and got him out.

You could say she's just a bit driven.

The single-mindedness of Betty Anne's actions, the raw faith in her brother, and the willingness to sacrifice two decades of her life, all combine to create an irresistible story for a motion picture.

Add double-Oscar winner Hilary Swank in the role of Betty Anne and “Conviction takes on its own quality of gotta-see.

Adopting a subtle New England accent, Swank presents Betty Anne as multilayers of warmth and humanity wrapped around a steel core.

She and her brother Kenny have been watching each other's backs for all their struggling lives, as we witness in numerous flashbacks that reveal two children who have nothing in their world but a supportive sibling.

The adult Kenny is played by Sam Rockwell, who supplies a cocky, blue-collar swagger and over-the-top personality, laced with an unmistakable trace of latent meanness.

Kenny eventually is arrested and convicted of the 1980 fatal stabbing of a woman in Ayer, Mass., a case investigated by cop Nancy Taylor (Melissa Leo) who obtains incriminating evidence from two of Kenny's former lovers.

Betty Anne remains convinced of Kenny's innocence.

Even so, Kenny exhibits enough of a violent temper for us to wonder if Betty Anne might just be letting support for her sibling supersede the facts and good judgment.

Inspired more by faith than anything else, she hits the books at law school. She depends upon her best friend Abra Rice (Minnie Driver in movie-stealing mode) to help her through the ensuing rough periods of depression, uncertainty and disillusionment.

None of the major characters in “Conviction is an original creation or a “compilation of several real people. Much of the dialogue in Pamela Gray's script has been lifted verbatim from police and court records.

This explains why the defensive dialogue of Juliette Lewis' character, key prosecution witness Roseanna Perry, sounds so strangely comical, and yet so authentic for this not-well-educated woman living in a trailer park.

Lewis, who took a break from her touring band to play Perry, gives “Conviction its most intriguing and memorable character, with Driver coming up a close second with a performance far more nuanced and engaging than the screenplay calls for.

Director Tony Goldwyn (remember him as the bad, bad best friend in “Ghost?) makes the most of his stellar cast, whose sheer chemistry camouflages short-shrifted background scenes screaming for more attention.

These include Betty Anne's superficially referenced down-the-toilet marriage and her years-long struggle to get though law school, an event shoehorned into a quick few scenes.

One thing “Conviction could have done without: the first scene, a cursory examination of the fresh, blood-splattered murder site from 1980.

It plays like a cheap and gratuitous way to entice us into the story, a slow, gut-twisting, satisfying drama that doesn't need any help snaring our interest.

'Conviction'

<p>Rating: ★ ★ ★ </p>

<p>Starring: Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver, Melissa Leo, Juliette Lewis</p>

<p>Directed by: Tony Goldwyn</p>

<p>Other: A Fox Searchlight release. Opening at the River East and Century Centre in Chicago and the Evanston Century 12. Expands to suburban theaters on Friday, Oct. 22. Rated R for language, violent images. 96 minutes.</p>