''The Pardon'' is a 2013 drama film directed by Tom Anton. Filmed in

Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population o ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, it stars

Jaime King Jaime King (born April 23, 1979) is an American actress and model. In her modeling career and early film roles, she used the names Jamie King and James King, which was a childhood nickname given to King by her parents, because her agency alread ...

Toni Jo Henry Toni Jo Henry (''née'' Annie Beatrice McQuiston; January 3, 1916 – November 28, 1942) was the only woman ever to be executed in Louisiana's electric chair. Married to Claude 'Cowboy' Henry, she decided to break her husband out of jail where h ...

, a woman who overcomes a tragic beginning but was executed for murder, and John Hawkes as "Arkie" Burke, Henry's partner in the crime. The picture is based on an actual case tried in Louisiana in the 1940s. Adapted from the true crime book Stone Justice by Evelyn L. Morgan and Debi King McMartin.

Plot

With all the picturesque glamour of the 1940s, ''The Pardon'' recounts the unlikely true story of Toni Jo Henry (Jaime King), a woman tried three times and executed in Louisiana, 1942. Surviving a legacy of childhood abuse, which lands her in the art deco brothels of the time, Toni Jo briefly discovers love and happiness when she marries the dashing boxer Cowboy Henry ( Jason Lewis). Cowboy is soon after sent to prison, leaving the bereft Toni Jo to embark on an ill-fated mission with Cowboy's sometime partner Arkie (John Hawkes). A grisly murder and a series of sensational trials where she pleads her innocence instantly makes the beautiful Toni Jo into a celebrity. Facing conviction after conviction, will she find true redemption in the face of the crimes for which she is accused?

Cast

* Jason Lewis as Claude "Cowboy" Henry *

M. C. Gainey Michael Connor Gainey (born January 18, 1948) is an American character actor best known for his appearances in ''Lost'', ''Con Air'', ''Sideways'', ''Tangled'', and ''Django Unchained''. Early life Gainey was born in Jackson, Mississippi. In the ...

as Gibbs Duhon *

Leigh Whannell Leigh Whannell (; is an Australian screenwriter, actor, film producer, and film director. He is best known for writing films directed by his friend James Wan, including ''Saw'' (2004), ''Dead Silence'' (2007), ''Insidious'' (2010), and '' Insid ...

as Clement Moss * John Hawkes as Finnon "Arkie" Burke *

T. J. Thyne Thomas Joseph Thyne (born March 7, 1975) is an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Jack Hodgins in the television series ''Bones''. Life Thyne was born on March 7, 1975 in Stoughton, Massachusetts. He lived in Brockton, Hanover, ...

as Father Richard *

Tim Guinee Timothy S. Guinee (born November 18, 1962) is an American stage, television, and feature-film actor. Primarily known for his roles as Tomin in the television series ''Stargate SG-1'' (1997–2007) and railroad entrepreneur Collis Huntington AMC' ...

as Norman Anderson *

Niki Spiridakos Niki Spiridakos is a Canadian actress. Filmography *'' Dropped Frames'' (2004) as Lori Lane *''Grub'' (2005; video) as Kuda *'' Real Premonition'' (2007) as Debbie *''Agenda'' (2007) as Luna *''Blonde Ambition'' (2007) (credited as Nikki Spirida ...

as Niki * Brad Dison as a Reporter *

Stuart Greer Stuart Greer (born December 2, 1959) is an American retired character actor. Education Greer began acting in stage productions while a student at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock before being accepted into the Professional Workshop at ...

as George McQuiston *

Ed Bruce William Edwin Bruce Jr. (December 29, 1939 – January 8, 2021) was an American country music songwriter, singer, and actor. He was known for writing the 1975 song "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" and recording the 1982 cou ...

as J. P. Copeland * Kip Cummings as Deputy Sheriff * Nancy Ellen Mills as Mrs Calloway * Celeste Roberts as Aunt Emma * Jeddah Danielle Salera as Young Toni Jo Henry * Jim Dickson as prison guard

External links

* * * 2013 films American crime drama films 2013 crime drama films Films about capital punishment Films based on non-fiction books Films set in Louisiana 2010s English-language films 2010s American films {{2010s-crime-drama-film-stub