Despite some impressive acting by Hilary Swank and the ever-unlucky Sam Rockwell, Tony Goldwyn’s fact-based “Conviction” never rises much above the level of a glorified Lifetime movie. Swank plays Betty Ann Waters, a Massachussets woman who fought for nearly two decades to gain the release of her brother, who was convicted of a brutal murder. Rockwell plays the redneck brother, whose hair-trigger temper and self-destructive tendencies don’t help matters.

Waters is so dedicated that she attends law school and passes the bar, using her new status as a lawyer to pursue her brother’s release through the new field of DNA testing in the ’90s.

Unfortunately, “Conviction” plays out in ultra-predictable fashion, positively wallowing in its cliched depiction of its low-rent milieu, including the two sons that Waters criminally neglects for years while on her quest. There are also some eyebrow-raising casting choices, including Minnie Driver as Waters’ law school pal and especially Peter Gallagher as the most unlikely Barry Scheck imaginable.

“Conviction,” which received a standing ovation during its red carpet premiere in Toronto, will be released by Fox Searchlight on October 15.