And being a likeable, wink-at-rebellion
movie-rebel countered by a bullying guard, there's absolutely no edge
(or glory) to his performance that would, in a better film, provide
Gibson a possible Oscar nomination... he simply plays it too safe and
affable here, as does the director... Who painted a deliberately bleak canvas nicely recreating turn-of-the-century rural America
in its mahogany landscapes, dire factories and the actual prison... But
what's here is more a Harlequin Romance montage than either an
effective prison-plot-escape thriller or true story that needed
telling: because storywise, MRS. SOFFEL is more whispered than spoken and, soon after, completely forgotten. Rates: **
