The Executioner's Song
Release date: 1982-09-10
Votes: 30
Genres: Crime, Drama, TV Movie
In this fact-based made-for TV film, Gary Gilmore, an Indiana man who just finished serving a lengthy stay in prison, tries to start anew by moving to Utah. Before long, Gary begins an ill-advised romance with the troubled Nicole Baker, a teenage single mother. As their relationship quickly deteriorates, Gary goes on a murderous rampage, leaving two dead. During his trial, he demands capital punishment; a media circus ensues and outsiders look to profit from his story.
Reviews
CinemaSerf
t was always going to be a challenge to dramatise this Norman Mailer book. It is a complex and intricate story of ex-con "Gary Gilmore" (Tommy Lee Jones) who is released back into society after serving a sentence for armed robbery. He quickly meets Nicole (Rosanna Arquette) with whom he has a child, before that all goes wrong and his life spirals out of control again. Determined to buy a white pick up truck from a local dealer, he turns to robbery to fund this - needlessly killing two men as he goes. He is easily identified, arrested and sentenced to death by firing squad (his choice) after insisting that all appeals be abandoned. It is clear, to me anyway, that "Gilmore" is ill - psychopathic, perhaps, and TLJ manages the role with some skill. Arquette also shines , she portrays the teenage mother vacillating from terror of the man to adoration in a convincing, earthy, manner. It's the pace of the thing that got me; it all takes far too long to get anywhere. It simply doesn't need to be 2¼ hours long and the last twenty minutes drag out the inevitable conclusion unnecessarily. Eli Wallach features all to sparingly as does Christine Lahti and though Jones delivers a powerful performance that does much to sustain this depiction of this very flawed human being, I found myself actually just a little bit bored by it all.
Movie Recommendation
Fandango1985-01-25In 1971, five college buddies from the University of Texas embark on a final road trip odyssey across the Mexican border before facing up to uncertain futures, in Vietnam and otherwise.More...
Horror High1973-09-20A nerdy high school super whiz experiments with a chemical which will transform his guinea pig "Mr. Mumps" from a gentle pet into a ravenous monster. In a fit of rage against his tormentors at the high school, Vernon Potts goes on a killing spree, eliminating all of those who ever picked on him - the Gym Coach, the School Jock, The Creepy Janitor & his hated teacher, Ms. Grindstaff.More...
Joker2019-10-01During the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.More...
Shining Through1992-01-31Spirited New Yorker Linda Voss goes to work for international lawyer and secret Office of Strategic Services operative Ed Leland just before World War II. As they fall in love, the United States enters the fight against Hitler, and Linda volunteers to work for Ed spying undercover behind Nazi lines. Assigned to uncover information about a German bomb, Linda also has personal motives to fulfill: discovering the fate of her Jewish family members in Berlin.More...
28 Days Later2002-10-31Twenty-eight days after a killer virus was accidentally unleashed from a British research facility, a small group of London survivors are caught in a desperate struggle to protect themselves from the infected. Carried by animals and humans, the virus turns those it infects into homicidal maniacs -- and it's absolutely impossible to contain.More...
Alien1979-05-25During its return to the earth, commercial spaceship Nostromo intercepts a distress signal from a distant planet. When a three-member team of the crew discovers a chamber containing thousands of eggs on the planet, a creature inside one of the eggs attacks an explorer. The entire crew is unaware of the impending nightmare set to descend upon them when the alien parasite planted inside its unfortunate host is birthed.More...
Puppet Master1989-10-12Alex Whitaker and three other gifted psychics investigate rumors that the secret of life has been discovered by master puppeteer, Andre Toulon, in the form of five killer puppets uniquely qualified for murder and mayhem.More...
Dracula 20002000-12-22When a team of techno-savvy thieves break into a high-security vault, they don't discover priceless works of art... they find a crypt unopened for 100 years.More...
Us2019-03-14Husband and wife Gabe and Adelaide Wilson take their kids to their beach house expecting to unplug and unwind with friends. But as night descends, their serenity turns to tension and chaos when some shocking visitors arrive uninvited.More...
Petite Maman2021-06-02After the death of her beloved grandmother, eight-year-old Nelly meets a strangely familiar girl her own age in the woods. Instantly forming a connection with this mysterious new friend, Nelly embarks on a fantastical journey of discovery which helps her come to terms with this newfound loss.More...
Titanic1997-11-18101-year-old Rose DeWitt Bukater tells the story of her life aboard the Titanic, 84 years later. A young Rose boards the ship with her mother and fiancé. Meanwhile, Jack Dawson and Fabrizio De Rossi win third-class tickets aboard the ship. Rose tells the whole story from Titanic's departure through to its death—on its first and last voyage—on April 15, 1912.More...
Rebel Without a Cause1955-10-27After moving to a new town, troublemaking teen Jim Stark is supposed to have a clean slate, although being the new kid in town brings its own problems. While searching for some stability, Stark forms a bond with a disturbed classmate, Plato, and falls for local girl Judy. However, Judy is the girlfriend of neighborhood tough, Buzz. When Buzz violently confronts Jim and challenges him to a drag race, the new kid's real troubles begin.More...
Hell House LLC2015-10-16Five years after an unexplained malfunction causes the death of 15 tour-goers and staff on the opening night of a Halloween haunted house tour, a documentary crew travels back to the scene of the tragedy to find out what really happened.More...
Nothing in Return2015-05-08One summer, Dario flees the hellish environment of his home. Luismi, unconditional friend, a poor devil with pretensions of winning, and Antonia, an old woman who collects abandoned his motorcar furniture, become his new family. Three generations living together in a city too big to be alone.More...
The Kid Detective2020-10-16A once-celebrated kid detective, now 31, continues to solve the same trivial mysteries between hangovers and bouts of self-pity. Until a naive client brings him his first 'adult' case, to find out who brutally murdered her boyfriend.More...
Kajillionaire2020-09-25Two con artists have spent 26 years training their only daughter to swindle, scam and steal at every turn. During a desperate and hastily conceived heist, they charm a stranger into joining them, only to have their entire world turned upside down.More...
Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood2019-07-24Los Angeles, 1969. TV star Rick Dalton, a struggling actor specializing in westerns, and stuntman Cliff Booth, his best friend, try to survive in a constantly changing movie industry. Dalton is the neighbor of the young and promising actress and model Sharon Tate, who has just married the prestigious Polish director Roman Polanski…More...
Mama Weed2020-09-09A translator working for the police gets involved in the other side of drug dealing.More...
Suicide Squad2016-08-03From DC Comics comes the Suicide Squad, an antihero team of incarcerated supervillains who act as deniable assets for the United States government, undertaking high-risk black ops missions in exchange for commuted prison sentences.More...
Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County1998-01-20After a mysterious blackout, a son goes out to investigate and captures footage of actual aliens. When the aliens follow he and his brothers back to their home all hell breaks lose.More...
Similar Movies
The Life of Rayful Ed...
2005-07-12The true king of cocaine. At his peak he sold 2,000 kilos a week, reaped gross profits of $70 million a month, and ran an operation with over 150 soldiers to support him. In his life champagne flowed like water, trips to Vegas, New York, and Los Angeles were the norm, and $150,000 shopping sprees were nothing. At the height of Washington, D.C.'s brutal crack epidemic in 1987, there was a 22 year old man responsible for distributing 90% of Columbian Cocaine onto the city's streets. This man is Rayful Edmond III. In the media's eyes he was guilty until proven innocent, but in the streets eyes he was a hero who made it to the top. This is his story-a story of; Power, Money, Murder, Betrayal and the rise and fall of the Edmond's Empire.3 Acts of Murder
2009-06-14In 1928 Arthur Upfield, Australia’s premier crime writer, plotted the perfect murder for his novel The Sands of Windee. Meanwhile, one of his friends, stockman Snowy Rowles, put the scheme into deadly effect, even before the book was published. This true story resulted in one of Australia’s most sensational murder trials of the 1930’s and catapulted Upfield’s name onto the world stage.Vincere
2009-05-20The story of the descent into madness of Mussolini's secret first wife, Ida Dasler, who was seduced by his passion and vigor but blind to the fascist dictator's many flaws.A Girl Like Me: The G...
2006-06-19The story of Gwen Araujo, a transgender teen who was murdered in California in 2002.You the Rich
1948-12-31Pepe el Toro is married to Celia la Chorreada and they have two children.Run, Cougar, Run
1972-10-18In this nature adventure, a courageous cougar must struggle to survive after a cruel human hunter kills her mate.G Kutta Se
2017-06-16In a small village not too far from Delhi, three lives explode around taboos of love and lust. Diksha, still just a girl, is caught unguarded on camera, besmirching the "honor" of her parents. Kiran, in love with the wrong boy, becomes the target of another man's lustful vengeance, "dishonoring" her family. And Virender, a young man cruising the streets at will, enjoys all the acts society forbids women, protecting or destroying their "honor" as he wills. Set in the badlands of Haryana, known for high rates of female feticide, G explores the murky world of sexual transgression and honor killings in India.Still of the Night
1982-11-19When one of his patients is found murdered, psychiatrist Dr. Sam Rice is visited by the investigating officer but refuses to give up any information. He's then visited by the patient's mistress, Brooke Reynolds, whom he quickly falls for despite her being a likely murder suspect. As the police pressure on him intensifies, Rice decides to attempt solving the case on his own and soon discovers that someone is trying to kill him as well.The Black Windmill
1974-05-17A British agent's son is kidnapped and held for a ransom of diamonds. The agent finds out that he can't even count on the people he thought were on his side to help him, so he decides to track down the kidnappers himself.The Rose of the Rasca...
2001-01-12The life of Irwin Goodman, a Finnish singer.Richard Jewell
2019-12-13Richard Jewell thinks quick, works fast, and saves hundreds, perhaps thousands, of lives after a domestic terrorist plants several pipe bombs and they explode during a concert, only to be falsely suspected of the crime by sloppy FBI work and sensational media coverage.Kristína
1978-12-25There is no descriptionTunnel Vision
1995-12-01A pair of cops investigate a series of art-gallery related murders.The Secret Diary of S...
1984-01-01Screwball account of the legendary psychologist's life leading up to his ground-breaking theories.Mauricio de Sousa: Th...
2025-10-23There is no descriptionThe Devils
1971-07-16In 17th-century France, Father Urbain Grandier seeks to protect the city of Loudun from the corrupt establishment of Cardinal Richelieu. Hysteria occurs within the city when he is accused of witchcraft by the sexually repressed Sister Jeanne.Destined for Blues
2005-08-01The life of Ryszard Riedel, former leader of cult Polish rock-blues band Dzem, including the history of his family relationships, music career and addiction to alcohol and drugs.Gainsbourg: A Heroic ...
2010-01-20A glimpse at the life of French singer Serge Gainsbourg, from growing up in 1940s Nazi-occupied Paris through his successful song-writing years in the 1960s to his death in 1991 at the age of 62.Played
2006-05-19An examination of the malevolent London underworld with it's despicable criminal underground. Ray (Mick Rossi) just finished an eight year prison sentence after getting set up. Now he is back on the streets to settle the score.Freeway Killer
2009-11-04For years he terrorized California motorists as he rode the endless highways searching for his next victim. The discarded bodies turned up beaten, sexually assaulted and horribly mutilated. Deceptively charming and intelligent, the scheming murderer easily avoided police at first. But as police closed in and the killer’s pattern grew more erratic, the only question was how many more will die?