The Unforgivable Review

Released from prison after serving a sentence for a violent crime, Ruth Slater (Sandra Bullock) re-enters a society that refuses to forgive her past. Facing severe judgment from the place she once called home, her only hope for redemption is finding the estranged younger sister she was forced to leave behind.

The film operates on three paths: After serving 20 years in prison, Slater is released on good behavior to her parole officer Vincent (Rob Morgan). He sets her up in a flophouse in Seattle’s Chinatown, with a job in a fish-packing place. Despite the conditions of her parole, Slater goes in search of her now-adult kid sister Katherine (Aisling Franciosi), who lives with a set of well-to-do foster parents and only brief recollections of her past life. Unbeknownst to Slater, the sons of the cop she killed — Steve (Will Pullen) and Keith (Tom Guiry) — have heard about her recent release, and they’re out for revenge.

Despite a deep ensemble led by a transformative Bullock, Unforgivable moves at a turgid pace, lacking the urgency and pathos required in a redemption narrative with any hopes that the audience will pull for its damaged protagonist.

Bullock portrays Slater as terse, strained at the jaw, and always at the edge of eruption. Slater tries to keep a low profile. She’s often guarded — she’s served her time, but her reputation as a cop-killer will always follow her around. It’s why when a coworker at the fish-packing plant, the kind, generous Blake falls for her, she initially seems hesitant to pursue the first tiny shred of kindness given to her. Slater doesn’t believe she deserves redemption.

The Unforgivable has all the right ingredients for an effective drama, including a lead actress notably burying her usual charm and charisma in lieu of playing a very quiet, enigmatic, and damaged character, but it falls short of assembling anything truly worthwhile. Its ultimate "reveal" is confusing, and will likely just make you angry at the entire movie, while Bullock gives us very little to invest in as Ruth, whom she underplays to a slightly frustrating degree.

Our Rating: 2.5/5

Top or Flop: Flop

Watch-O-Meter Rating: "Scroll and Watch!"