Tom Sizemore is best known for playing sleazy jerks (Natural Born Killers, Devil in a Blue Dress), but in Sins of the Father he gives a compelling performance as a man who turns from his hatred-filled upbringing and struggles to find another path in life. Sizemore plays Tom Cherry, the son of one of the men responsible for an Alabama church bombing that killed four young African-American girls in 1963. In 1998, the adult Tom builds a house to forge a peace with his dying father (Richard Jenkins), but his deepening friendship with a black man he's hired to help him (the ever-dependable Ving Rhames) stirs up memories of the brutality of his childhood and leads him to testify against the old man's criminal acts. This father-son conflict provides a unique window into the strife of the civil rights movement. --Bret Fetzer
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
Perhaps, if this one had been shown on HBO...:
...or any other "prestigious" network, it might have attained the recognition it deserves.
Like the other reviewer, I can only praise the excellent script and the fine performances from Sizemore, Jenkins, Rhames, and Fiore. Closeups of Sizemore's agonized face bring this viewer almost to tears. Jenkin's intensity, seen in both the frequent flashbacks and present-time scenes, is awesome. Rhames provides the "conscience" that brings Sizemore to the realization that he must reveal his father's past. And... more info
Underrated Masterpiece:
This is one of the best movies I have seen in a while, an underrated engrossing little gem that is totally captivating. While at first I was surprised why the film never got nominated for any awards,I was even more surprised to find out later that it was a TV movie! Well, films made for television can not get better than this, and it is unfortunate it did not get a theater release, for its style, script,acting and direction are way above average. The plot mainly revolves around the racial tension... more info
