Sins of the Father (2002 film)

*Sins of the Father*
Sins of the Father
	Film poster
Genre	Crime drama
Based on	"The Sins of the Father"; by Pamela Colloff
Written by	John Pielmeier
Directed by	Robert Dornhelm
Starring	Tom Sizemore; Richard Jenkins; Ving Rhames; Colm Feore;
Music by	Harald Kloser; Thomas Wanker;
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Robert Cooper; Tracey Alexander;
Producer	Frank Siracusa
Cinematography	Derick V. Underschultz
Editor	Victor Du Bois
Running time	93 minutes
Production companies	Artisan Pictures; Landscape Entertainment;
Original release
Network	FX
Release	January 6, 2002

Sins of the Father is a 2002 American crime drama television film directed by Robert Dornhelm and written by John Pielmeier. It is based on an article by Pamela Colloff published in the April 2000 issue of Texas Monthly, chronicling the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, in which four young African-American girls were killed while attending Sunday school. The victims were Addie Mae Collins, 14 yrs old; Denise McNair, 11 yrs old; Carole Robertson, 14 yrs old; and Cynthia Welsley, 14 yrs old. It was believed that there were 5 girls together in the church basement on that fateful day, but only one survived: young Sarah Collins, Addie Mae's younger sister. The bombing was racially motivated and carried out by members of the Ku Klux Klan. The film was first aired on January 6, 2002 on FX.

Plot

Tom Cherry (Tom Sizemore), a middle-aged man, has difficult decisions to make when the police reopen the investigation into the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama in which his father, Bobby Frank Cherry (Richard Jenkins), was involved. Now, Tom has to decide whether to protect his father or to turn him in and let justice finally be done.

Cast

Tom Sizemore as Tom Cherry
Richard Jenkins as Bobby Frank Cherry
Brenda Bazinet as Virginia Cherry
Lachlan Murdoch as Young Tom
Colm Feore as Dalton Strong
Ving Rhames as Garrick Jones
Jessica Gray Charles as Denise McNair
Funmiola Lawson as Cynthia Wesley
Aaryn Doyle as Carole Robertson
Isys McKoy as Addie Mae Collins
Mica Le John as Sarah Collins
Kim Roberts as Mrs. Wesley
Delores Etienne as Older Woman at Church
Sandi Ross as Sunday School Teacher
Ardon Bess as Minister at Church
Michael Rhoades as Tommy
Bruce McFee as Robert Chambliss
Tony Munch as Herman Cash
Simon Reynolds as Troy Ingram
Tom McBeath as J. Edgar Hoover

Production

The film was shot in Toronto. The cast includes Tom Sizemore, Richard Jenkins, Ving Rhames, Colm Feore, Jackie Richardson, Connor Price, Aaryn Doyle, Isys McKoy, Jessica Gray Charles, and Funmiola Lawson.

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 50% based on reviews from 6 critics.^[1]

Andy Webb from "The Movie Scene" gave the film four out five stars and wrote: "What this all boils down to is that "Sins of the Father" is an extremely powerful movie which doesn't hold back when it comes to showing the racism of the 1960s and then building a modern drama around it with a son's conflict. It will be too brutal for some but it is worth it as it will shock and move you whilst also showing a trio of actors playing difficult roles extremely well."^[2]

Accolades

Rhames was nominated for the Black Reel Award for Best Actor^[3] and the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special. Pielmeier's teleplay earned him nominations for the Humanitas Prize and the Writers Guild of America Award.^[4] Sins of the Father was also nominated for an Artios Awards in the category of "Best Casting for TV Movie of the Week". The film was also nominated for a NAACP Image Awards for "Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special".^[5]