Cruel and unusual
Cruel and unusual is commonly used to describe certain controversial forms of physical punishment, for which see:
Other uses
Cruel and Unusual (2014 film)
Cruel and Unusual is a 2014 Canadian surrealistic thriller written by Merlin Dervisevic. It is the debut feature for Merlin Dervisevic, who also directed the film. Starring David Richmond-Peck, Bernadette Saquibal, and Michelle Harrison, the film follows a man wrongly condemned for killing his wife, who finds himself in a mysterious institution where he is sentenced to relive her death for eternity. Distributed by Entertainment One in Canada and Candy Factory Films in the United States, the film was theatrically released on 24 May 2014.
Plot
In their bathroom, Edgar desperately attempts to save his unresponsive wife, Maylon, a Filipino immigrant. Shortly after giving up, he dies, too. Suddenly driving his car down the road, Edgar pulls over in confusion. After he stumbles out of his car, he recognizes a tree without knowing why. He and Maylon argue briefly, then return to their house. Maylon is worried about her troubled teenage son, Gogan, who has not yet returned home. Edgar encourages her be stricter and dismisses her concerns for Gogan's safety. Gogan briefly returns home but runs away after Edgar threatens to send him back to the Philippines to live with his father; Maylon chases after him. When she returns, Maylon makes Edgar soup. Edgar becomes ill, and Maylon calls an ambulance. When Edgar insists on calling them back himself to report his allergies, she refuses to give him the phone. In the resulting scuffle over the phone, Edgar accidentally kills Maylon, then collapses dead.
Cruel and Unusual (novel)
Cruel and Unusual is a crime fiction novel by Patricia Cornwell. It is the fourth book in the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series.
Plot summary
Virginia Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta is called in to autopsy the body of convicted murderer Ronnie Waddell after his execution. Several days after the execution, a young boy is discovered murdered in the fashion of Waddell's earlier killings, with Waddell's prints near the body. Scarpetta, along with FBI Agent Benton Wesley and Detective Pete Marino, try to discover how a dead inmate could have possibly committed another murder after his death. As the story progresses she seeks the assistance of her 17-year-old niece Lucy after she discovers a strange folder on her computer.
Characters
