Trial by Fire (2018 film)

Trial by Fire is an American biographical drama directed by Edward Zwick. The story is based upon David Grann's article "Trial by Fire" that appeared in The New Yorker in 2009. The film stars Jack O'Connell as Cameron Todd Willingham and features Laura Dern, Emily Meade, Jeff Perry and Jade Pettyjohn in supporting roles.

It had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2018. It was released on May 17, 2019, by Roadside Attractions.

Premise
The tragic and controversial story of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was executed in Texas for killing his three children after scientific evidence and expert testimony that bolstered his claims of innocence were suppressed.

Cast

 * Jack O'Connell as Cameron Todd Willingham
 * Laura Dern as Elizabeth Gilbert
 * Emily Meade as Stacy Willingham
 * Jeff Perry as Hurst
 * Jade Pettyjohn as Julie Gilbert
 * Joshua Mikel
 * Chris Coy as Daniels
 * McKinley Belcher III as Ponchai
 * James Healy Jr as Arresting Officer
 * Anthony Reynolds as Fogg

Development
On August 8, 2017, it was announced that Jack O'Connell and Laura Dern would star in an adaptation of the article "Trial by Fire" by American journalist David Grann with Edward Zwick directing. Zwick would produce the film together with Alex Soros, Allyn Stewart and Kipp Nelson under the Bedford Falls Company and Flashlight Films banner respectively.

Writing
Screenwriter Geoffrey S. Fletcher, who won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for his screenplay on Precious, wrote the screenplay for the film.

Music
Henry Jackman, who worked with Zwick on Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, composed the score for the film. The soundtrack was released digitally on 17 May 2019 by Sony Classical Records.

Release
Trial by Fire had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2018. Shortly after, Roadside Attractions acquired distribution rights to the film and scheduled it for release on May 17, 2019.

Critical response
On review aggregrator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 58% based on 53 reviews, with an average rating of 6.18/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Trial by Fire has a worthy and heartbreaking story to tell, but this well acted dramatization is undermined by its aggressive manipulative approach." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average of score of 48 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".