Beyond the Call

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Beyond the Call ★★½ 1996 (R)

Connecticut housewife Pam O'Brien (Spacek) learns from the paper that her highschool sweetheart Russell Cates (Strathairn) is on death row in South Carolina for killing a cop and his execution has been scheduled within weeks. Pam writes Russell and then hears from his sister Fran (Wright), who urges Pam to visit her brother and get him to apply for a clemency hearing. Husband Keith (Howard) becomes angry and alarmed as Pam gets more involved with Russell and his case, which hinges on Russell's Vietnam experiences and posttraumatic shock syndrome. 101m/C VHS, DVD . David Strathairn, Sissy Spacek, Arliss Howard, Janet Wright; D: Tony Bill; W: Doug Magee; C: Jean Lepine; M: George S. Clinton. CABLE