Trial by Fire (2018 film)

Trial by Fire
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Edward Zwick
Screenplay by	Geoffrey S. Fletcher
Based on	"Trial by Fire"[1] by David Grann
Produced by	Alex Soros Allyn Stewart Edward Zwick Kipp Nelson
Starring	Jack O'Connell Laura Dern Emily Meade
Cinematography	John Guleserian
Edited by	Steven Rosenblum
Music by	Henry Jackman
Production companies	The Bedford Falls Company Flashlight Films
Distributed by	Roadside Attractions
Release dates	August 31, 2018 (2018-08-31) (Telluride) May 17, 2019 (2019-05-17) (United States)
Running time	127 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$148,504[2]

Trial by Fire is a 2018 American biographical drama film directed by Edward Zwick. The story is based upon David Grann's article "Trial by Fire" that appeared in The New Yorker in 2009 about case Willingham v. State of Texas.^[3] The film stars Jack O'Connell, Laura Dern, Emily Meade, Jeff Perry and Jade Pettyjohn.

Trial by Fire had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2018, and was released on May 17, 2019, by Roadside Attractions.

Plot

On December 23, 1991, Cameron Todd Willingham awakes to find his house ablaze. Despite his best efforts, Willingham is unable to save the lives of his three daughters.

At his trial, the prosecutor, John Jackson, reveals the fire had been caused deliberately with gasoline spread in the shape of a pentagram and the refrigerator moved to block the kitchen door. Witnesses continue to take the stand and portray him as a violent individual. Willingham's former cellmate, Johnny Webb, then takes the stand and declares Willingham told him the fire had been set deliberately. Despite impassioned pleas of Willingham's innocence by both himself and his wife Stacy, Willingham is sentenced to death.

During his time on death row, Willingham is violently beaten and threatened by both the inmates and then the guards before ultimately being placed in solitary confinement, where he breaks down, all while protesting his innocence and having flashbacks to his life with Stacy. It is revealed that Willingham and Stacy had a complicated relationship in which she cheated on him, and he acted violently towards her. Nevertheless, the two are shown to care for each other, though Stacy ultimately stops replying to his letters at the behest of her grandmother who believes he is guilty. Willingham reaches out to a new lawyer, Reaves, in the hope of proving his innocence while adapting to his life in prison by submitting to the particularly violent guard Daniels and befriending fellow inmate, Ponchai James. During this time, Willingham improves his vocabulary and writing with the help of James, who is eventually taken from his cell and executed.

Willingham’s letter ultimately reaches playwright Elizabeth Gilbert, who is sympathetic to his case, though her ailing ex-husband and their two children insist he is guilty. Gilbert eventually visits the prison and is taken aback by his calm demeanor. The pair connect over their mutual struggles as parents and their love for their respective children. Willingham continues to immerse himself in art and poetry and befriends Daniels, who also starts to question his innocence when he witnesses Willingham hallucinating about his daughters and reads his letters to Gilbert.

Gilbert questions the witness statements and Reaves, who made no progress on the case in six years, and then visits Webb, who becomes erratic and threatens her when she questions him about John Jackson paying him to lie about Willingham’s confession. She further uncovers that many of the witnesses had lied as Willingham’s execution date is set. Gilbert and Reaves meet with Dr. Hurst, who reveals the refrigerator had not been moved and that the fire could not have been arson as the jury had said. Despite this, Reaves is unable to argue an appeal, and Hurst’s report is disregarded. Webb recants his testimony, though this is covered up by Jackson who had originally paid him to lie. Stacy is pressured into lying that Willingham had confessed to her.

Gilbert suffers a car crash as Willingham is taken to be executed, causing her to be absent as he delivers a poignant speech that shows the improvements he has made while on death row and requests his ashes be spread over his daughters' graves. Daniels reluctantly administers the lethal injection and tearfully watches Willingham die alongside Stacy and Reaves. Gilbert, now paralyzed from her accident, spreads Willingham’s ashes with her own children present. In an epilogue, the real-life Texas Governor Rick Perry is seen denying any guilt over death row inmates being executed.

Cast

• Jack O'Connell as Cameron Todd Willingham
• Laura Dern as Elizabeth Gilbert
• Emily Meade as Stacy Willingham
• David Wilson Barnes as Reaves
• Jeff Perry as Gerald Hurst
• Jade Pettyjohn as Julie Gilbert
• Joshua Mikel as Screaming Inmate
• Chris Coy as Daniels
• Jason Douglas as John Jackson
• McKinley Belcher III as Ponchai
• James Healy Jr as Arresting Officer
• Anthony Reynolds as Fogg
• Chris Shurley as Sgt. Marty
• Wayne Péré as George Gilbert
• Petros Papadakis as 1999 Voice of the Dallas Cowboys on the Radio

Production

Development

On August 8, 2017, it was announced that Jack O'Connell and Laura Dern would star in an adaptation of the article "Trial by Fire" by American journalist David Grann, with Edward Zwick directing. Zwick would produce the film together with Alex Soros, Allyn Stewart, and Kipp Nelson under the Bedford Falls Company and Flashlight Films banner respectively.^[4]

Writing

Screenwriter Geoffrey S. Fletcher, who won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for his screenplay on Precious, wrote the screenplay for the film.

Music

Henry Jackman, who worked with Zwick on Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, composed the score for the film.^[5] The soundtrack was released digitally on 17 May 2019 by Sony Classical Records.^[6]

Release

Trial by Fire had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2018.^[7][8] Shortly after, Roadside Attractions acquired distribution rights to the film and scheduled it for release on May 17, 2019.^[9]

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 61% based on 70 reviews, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Trial by Fire has a worthy and heartbreaking story to tell, but this well-acted dramatization is undermined by its aggressive manipulative approach."^[10] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average of score of 51 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[11]

References

1. Grann, David. "Trial by Fire". The New Yorker. Retrieved 3 Jul 2018.
2. "Trial by Fire (2019)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
3. "Willingham v. State". Justia US Law. 1995-03-22. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
4. Fleming, Mike Jr. (2017-08-09). "Jack O'Connell, Laura Dern Star For Ed Zwick In 'Trial By Fire'". Deadline. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
5. "Henry Jackman Scoring Edward Zwick's 'Trial by Fire'". filmmusicreporter.com. 8 May 2018. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
6. "'Trial by Fire' Soundtrack Details". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
7. Tapley, Kristopher (August 30, 2018). "'First Man,' 'Front Runner' and 'Roma' Among 2018 Telluride Film Festival Selections". Variety. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
8. "Telluride Film Festival Program Guide" (PDF). Telluride Film Festival. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
9. McClintock, Pamela (February 25, 2019). "Edward Zwick's 'Trial by Fire' Lands Early Summer Release Date From Roadside". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
10. "Trial by Fire (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
11. "Trial by Fire Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 17, 2019.

External links

• Trial by Fire at IMDb
• Trial by Fire at Rotten Tomatoes