Academy Award (R) winner* Forest Whitaker and Eric Bana deliver riveting performances in this tense thriller based on real events. When Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Whitaker) is appointed to head a nationwide investigation, he's summoned to a maximum-security prison by a notorious murderer seeking clemency (Bana). Inside the brutal prison walls, Tutu is drawn into a dangerous, life-changing battle with the cunning criminal in this captivating film from Oscar (R) nominated director** Roland Joffé.
29 March 1971, Cape Town, South Africa
15 July 1961, Longview, Texas, USA
March1948, Kampala, Uganda
1952, Fort Beaufort, Cape Province, South Africa
March 19, 2018
The film gives the viewer ample reason to make Tutu a saint, but little reason to make him a dramatic screen hero.March 08, 2018
Several powerful narratives vie for supremacy in the political drama "The Forgiven," but this sluggishly paced film's disparate parts never come together as a compelling whole.March 08, 2018
"The Forgiven" is heavy-handed from its early texts explaining apartheid through its end credits.March 09, 2018
No attempt is made to win over the audience. This welcome absence of sentimentality allows us to experience Tutu's own crisis of faith as he attempts to reconcile this man's actions with his bedrock belief in forgiveness.March 08, 2018
At least gives the Commission's heroic chairman, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, his due by placing him front and center in its history - though it's debatable whether Forest Whitaker's glazed impersonation should be considered an honour.March 15, 2018
Just alone, the scenes between Bana and Whitaker earn the film a recommendation, but other than that there's just not much else worthy of note.March 15, 2018
The Forgiven plunges us into the heart of post-apartheid chaos, where we see and feel the hurt, fear, and rage that had to be aired before the healing could begin.March 16, 2018
The Forgiven is a timely and powerful film, and the ultimate testament to the power of forgiveness and finding common ground in our humanity.March 16, 2018
A drama about the restorative justice and forgiveness work of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.March 15, 2018
The core debate and both main performances are compelling.March 09, 2018
[The Forgiven] only succeeds as an ugly, empty-headed provocation.March 07, 2018
The Forgiven tackles its important political and social issues in an overly talky fashion. The film has its merits, but it represents a significant comedown for the director of such classics as The Mission and The Killing Fields.