Release Date: 2001-09-14
Runtime: 111 mins
2001 French documentary about the murder trial of a 15 year old black teen accused of murder in Jacksonville, Florida. Winner of 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary.
111 minutes
2001-09-14
$0
$0
Year:
2002
Status:
🏆 Won
Read authentic reviews from real viewers about this movie.
See reviews ▼"When a (white) woman walking through an hotel lobby is shot at point blank range, the fifteen year old (black) Brenton Butler is arraigned on charges of murder and armed robbery. What now ensues is quite a telling example of an investigative process that comes across as one determined to expedite a result rather than get to the truth. Fortunately for Butler, he has a lawyer who is prepared to work hard on isolating the various witness testimonies and illustrating the flaws and inconsistencies from a combination of statements ranging from the sloppy to the downright perverse by way of quite a few lies and violence en route. The documentary makers manage to immerse us in the detail of the process and also to engage us in genuine senses of apprehension for the youngster and disgust for one or two of the lazy, possibly bigoted, and incompetent police officers whose approach to this whole crime did no-one any justice at all - not the victim, the accused nor the judicial system that has to evaluate these contrary assertions. The documentary does adopt a very pro-defendant position and that doesn't always provide us with a balance. Not that there's much doubt as to the verdict, but for a fair part of the trial process which is extensively reflected here, the prosecuting attorney isn't mic'd up and so her objections or ad hoc comments are inaudible as his defender Patrick McGuinness goes on the offensive. As is often the case with documentaries like this, it's the closing textual slides that provoke the most visceral of responses and offer us food for future conversation, but even though this is probably half an hour longer than it needs to be, it's still a well put together analysis of the effectiveness of an independent justice system that supports the right of everyone to a trial by their peers."
The movie is approximately 111 minutes long.
2001-09-14 marks the official release date of the movie.
The movie belongs to the Crime Documentary genres, offering a variety of experiences from adventure to fantasy.
The lead actors include Ann Finnell , Patrick McGuinness , and James Williams , among others.
The movie was directed by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade
The movie had an estimated budget of $0 .
A Cinderella Story grossed an estimated $0 at the box office.
Major production companies include HBO France 2 Cinéma Maha Productions PROCIREP CNC .
"The rise and fall of the Corleone empire." Directed by , starring Al Pacino .
Movie