Bullock makes us care enough in overly condensed, manipulative "The Unforgivable"

The Unforgivable (2021)


“The Unforgivable” is armed with such talented names on both sides of the camera that it would seem like a can’t-miss prospect. From what we can see, Sandra Bullock is giving one of those deglamorized, vanity-free on-screen turns in a stern, against-type role as a “cop killer,” and she is quite persuasive and intensely raw. Director Nora Fingscheidt holds this tough and grim story together for a while on the strength and conviction of her actors with a terrific supporting cast that includes Vincent D’Onofrio, Viola Davis, and Jon Bernthal. It’s a letdown when the script goes off in so many directions and eventually implodes with melodramatic histrionics and a major rug-pull plot revelation designed to manipulate emotions.


Ruth Slater (Sandra Bullock) is a convicted felon in Washington state. 20 years ago, she was protecting herself and her 5-year-old sister inside their late parents’ farmhouse as they were being evicted. The local sheriff involved was shot dead and Ruth was sent to prison. Now, Ruth is released and granted parole. Believing the price has been paid, she’s now ready to rebuild her life, taking a room in a halfway house in Seattle’s Chinatown and taking on two jobs. Meanwhile, Ruth’s younger sister Katie (Aisling Franciosi), now a college student and a talented pianist, has no memory of Ruth, who has even written her multiple letters from prison. Ruth’s parole officer (Rob Morgan) also advises her not to contact Katie or her adoptive parents (Linda Emond, Richard Thomas). So far, that’s a decent setup for a redemption drama. 


Then Ruth decides to go see her childhood home, renovated and now owned by the Ingram family. The husband, John (Vincent D’Onofrio), happens to be a lawyer. When Ruth actually comes clean about her whole story, John agrees to help her possibly see Katie, even though his wife Liz (Viola Davis) thinks he’s making a mistake if he takes the case. One would already think that this is a lot for one movie, considering it feels like everything is occurring in a week’s time. We also have Keith (Tom Guiry) and Steve (Will Pullen), the adult sons of the sheriff Ruth killed, planning their revenge on their father’s murderer; one is more gung-ho than the other, but of course, that will change. Oh, and Ruth also has a love interest in Blake (Jon Bernthal), a nice, generous fellow she meets during her shifts working at a fish market. 


Being based on a 2009 three-part British TV series “Unforgiven,” it’s no wonder “The Unforgivable” feels very much like a condensed version of a miniseries. Even the meaning of the title change here feels lost in translation. The script by Peter Craig, Hillary Seitz, and Courtenay Miles has so many interesting pieces that either needed to be diminished or given more time in between to not feel so contrived. Over the course of the film, the specifics of what really went down and consequently put Ruth behind bars is hinted at in dribs and drabs, until all is revealed in time for the film’s turn into conventional thriller territory.


Sandra Bullock does make us care enough about Ruth, even if she’s understandably cold and shut off from the world. There’s more than enough grit in Ruth to believe that she accepts her sins of the past, however, when the film lets the audience in on a secret Ruth keeps, it feels less meaningful and more like a trick in sympathy. Everyone else in the cast is fine here, particularly Jon Bernthal, and as overqualified as she is, Viola Davis does get one great shouting match with Bullock, and Davis wins. Given some of the effective performances and compelling nature of the material, it’s not so much unforgivable as it is frustrating that “The Unforgivable” doesn’t become much more than just watchable.


Grade: C +


Netflix is releasing “The Unforgivable” (112 min.) to stream on December 10, 2021.

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