for me and this be the best role of hackman career and and one of oscar most overlooked role . his character be a revolting and cold and and repugnantly racist a a human be could be and but hackman play sam cayhall a a person with a surprising depth and emotion that and although you couldn not exactly like him and you find yourself quietly hop his death penalty will be overturn a he plumb the depth of his evil deed and confronts his past . the scene when fay dunaway lee cayhall bowen come to see sam in the hour before his execution be as good a it get . lee ask if sam would have kill joe lincoln when she be young have she speak up and sam tell her yes . you know and you see and that he wouldn not have and but in see the toll that the guilt of a lifetime of believe it be her fault have exact from his daughter and sam lie . sam redeem her sanity in that lie and give her life the peace she never have and and in many way and redeem himself . although dunaway be only 11 year young than hackman and she handily pull off the role of cayhall emotional and conflicted and alcoholic daughter lee . she have spend her life hiding from whom she be and both from the community and herself and the crime of her father and and the stigma it have bring . chris odonnell be just as good a sam grandson and adam hall and who be now a lawyer . hall father have change the family surname to also escape the stigma of be the son of the murder klansman cayhall . apparently by design and hall work for the firm who handle his grandfather case and although he keep his grandfather identity a secret until he request to take on the final death penalty appeal . along the way and hall learn the unpleasant reality of who he be and the bitter hate and ugliness breed into his grandfather and and insight into the truth of why his father have commit suicide when hall be a young boy . this film and although unpleasant in theme and be full of stellar performance and by far the most nuanced and conflicted character gene hackman have ever play . if you haven not see the chamber and get it and it worth the watch .