What is the purpose of prison? Is it punishment? Is it security? Is it rehabilitation? Is it pariahdom? Is it political? Is it something else entirely? This film about a woman who spent twenty years in prison explored none of those questions, but did present us with a different side of Sandra Bullock as The Unforgivable, a convicted cop killer finally free on parole after two decades in metaphoric Hell.
Turns out the outside ain’t no better. Go figure.
Somewhere beyond the suburbs of Seattle, Ruth Slater (Bullock) used to own a farm. The Sheriff came to foreclose and evict. Ruth pulled out a shotgun. The Sheriff didn’t. Twenty years later, Ruth has been released to all the ugly Seattle has to offer: no family, no friends, a dorm-sized room shared with three women you wouldn’t trust with a Michael’s coupon, and a job that fell through. Now, she works gutting fish. The late shift of fish gutting. Why is there a late shift of fish gutting? Couldn’t all the fish gutting happen when the fish arrive? Don’t ask.
The few people that know Ruth loathe Ruth. “Cop killer!” is the most common accusation, but Ruth ain’t terrific at makin’ friends. She comes off a deliberately and overtly hostile in every situation that’s not a job interview. It takes Sandra over an hour of film to find a smile. And Ruth only cares about one thing –finding her baby sister, lost to the system. Why is Sandra Bullock thirty+ years older than her sister? Was this role intended for a younger actress? Don’t ask.
Is anyone going to help Ruth? Well, the farm 
where all the nasty happened is now owned by Vincent D’Onofrio and Viola Davis. John Ingram (D’Onofrio) is a lawyer; he might take the case! Hey, is this a film where Sandra Bullock plays a bad guy and Vincent D’Onofrio plays a good guy?! Weird.
The Unforgivable is not unwatchable. Despite Sandra Bullock’s continuous standoffishness, we feel for her plight. Part of me wonders if I’d feel the same if she and Viola Davis switched roles. I’d like to think I would, but that’s a different concern. The problem with this film is it ran out of good material to fill two hours, so it added a subplot about two brothers bent on revenge. This story doesn’t really work and it swallows up the the main storylines about Ruth’s reconnection with society and her plight to find her younger sister. While I agree the film needed something more as a compelling storyline, this wasn’t it. And while I appreciate the role choice, I don’t see Sandra taking home any hardware for this performance, either.
There once was an ex-con named Ruth
Who emerged from the system uncouth
In order to see her sister
She needs to stop acting pissed or
She’ll forever be alone, that’s the truth!
Rated R,112 Minutes
Director: Nora Fingscheidt
Writer: Peter Craig, Hillary Seitz, Courtenay Miles
Genre: Snitches get stitches
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: People who accept responsibility
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Misogynists
