Trial by Fire

Play trailer

2:24

Trial by Fire

R,

2019,

2h 7m,

Drama/

Biography

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Trial by Fire: Trailer 1

Now Playing

View more videos

Watchlist

63%

70 Reviews

Tomatometer

- -

Popcornmeter

63%

Tomatometer

70 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Cameron Todd Willingham, a poor, uneducated heavy metal devotee who has a violent streak and a criminal record, is convicted of arson-related triple homicide in 1992. During his 12 years on death row, Elizabeth Gilbert, an improbable ally, uncovers questionable methods and illogical conclusions in his case and battles with the state to expose suppressed evidence that could save him.

Critics Consensus

Trial by Fire has a worthy -- and heartbreaking -- story to tell, but this well-acted dramatization is undermined by its aggressively manipulative approach.

Read Critics Reviews

Clarisse Loughrey

Independent (UK)

Dec 10, 2020

2/5

Trial by Fire... forces Willingham through a kind of poetic transformation.

Go to Full Review

Ty Burr

Boston Globe

May 24, 2019

1.5/4

Powerful stuff, but unpowerfully told, in part because the energies in "Trial by Fire" are split between proving Todd Willingham's innocence and building an argument against the death penalty no matter what the verdict.

Go to Full Review

David Edelstein

New York Magazine/Vulture

May 20, 2019

The movie is painstakingly well made and murderously hard to sit through.

Go to Full Review

M.N. Miller

Ready Steady Cut

Aug 22, 2022

3/5

Unbroken‘s Jack O’Connell carries Trial by Fire and gives a combustible turn as an unlikeable man who loved his children dearly, but who can’t get out of his own way.

Go to Full Review

Kat Hughes

THN

Dec 7, 2020

4/5

The intricate and emotional beats are played out beautifully on screen by Jack O'Connell and Laura Dern.

Go to Full Review

Steven Prokopy

Third Coast Review

Jul 28, 2020

3/4

Trial by Fire is beautifully acted, especially by Dern, who plays a woman who is looking for purpose while also trying to raise her kids right, even though they don't always believe in what she's doing.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Edward Zwick

Director

Jack O'Connell

Cameron Todd Willingham

Laura Dern

Elizabeth Gilbert

Emily Meade

Stacy Willingham

Jeff Perry

Hurst

Jade Pettyjohn

Julie Gilbert

Knightriders

81%

60%

Knightriders

Watchlist

River Runs Red

22%

72%

River Runs Red

Watchlist

TRAILER

for River Runs Red

Lizzie

66%

47%

Lizzie

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Lizzie

Charlie Says

59%

Charlie Says

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Charlie Says

Raees

62%

62%

Raees

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Raees

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

John Wick: Chapter 3 is Certified Fresh

Trial by Fire: Trailer 1

2:24

Now Playing

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

Cameron Todd Willingham, a poor, uneducated heavy metal devotee who has a violent streak and a criminal record, is convicted of arson-related triple homicide in 1992. During his 12 years on death row, Elizabeth Gilbert, an improbable ally, uncovers questionable methods and illogical conclusions in his case and battles with the state to expose suppressed evidence that could save him.

Director: Edward Zwick
Producer: Edward Zwick, Allyn Stewart, Kipp Nelson, Alex Soros
Screenwriter: Geoffrey Fletcher
Distributor: Roadside Attractions
Production Co: Roadside Attractions, Universal Studios Inc.
Rating: R (Disturbing Images|Brief Nudity|Language Throughout|Sexual Material|Some Violence)
Genre: Drama, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 17, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 30, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $143.3K
Runtime: 2h 7m

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings