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"The Atlanta Child Murders" (1985)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer:
Abby Mann (writer)
Release Date:
10 February 1985 (USA)
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Plot:
The city of Atlanta, Georgia, is terrorized by a rash of child murders occurring in its black community...
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Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys.
Another 1 win
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User Comments:
As Good As TV Movies Get
more (7 total)
Cast
(Series Cast overview, first billed only)| Calvin Levels | ... | Wayne Williams | |
| Morgan Freeman | ... | Ben Shelter | |
| James Earl Jones | ... | Major Walker | |
| Rip Torn | ... | Lewis Slaton | |
| Jason Robards | ... | Alvin Binder | |
| Lynne Moody | ... | Selena Cobb | |
| Ruby Dee | ... | Faye Williams | |
| Gloria Foster | ... | Camille Bell | |
| Paul Benjamin | ... | Homer Williams | |
| Martin Sheen | ... | Chet Dettlinger | |
| Andrew Robinson | ... | Jack Mallard | |
| Christopher Allport | ... | Larry Peterson | |
| Guy Boyd | ... | Mike Edwards | |
| Gary Graham | ... | Ken Lawson | |
| Bill Paxton | ... | Campbell |
Additional Details
Runtime:
245 min | 60 min (4 episodes)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Iceland:12 (episodes 1-2) |
Iceland:L (episode 3-4)
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
These murders prompted the first extensive use of serial killer profiling and forensic fiber analysis.
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FAQ
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Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for "The Atlanta Child Murders" (1985)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
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| DVD | pacman2524 |
| Just not sure!!!!!!!!!!! | purplelove |
| The atlanta child murders | felton_mckoy |
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Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | IMDb TV section |
| IMDb Crime section | IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |
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Excellent, gripping Made-For-TV story of the abductions and murders of African-American children, adolescents, and adults in Atlanta in the early 80's, and the sensational trial of the one man brought to justice for these crimes. The murders and trial polarized the communities of Atlanta and its environs, and the TV Movie re-creates this stunningly well in its deliberately ambiguous portrayal of suspect Wayne Williams, the evidence against him, and the issues of presenting a capital case based almost solely on circumstantial evidence. Just as the case inspires controversy up to this day, so does this movie.
Calvin Levels has Wayne Williams down pat in this production - alternately charming, charismatic, strange, and menacing - and creates a web of confused desires and motives that deliberately leaves audiences guessing - what REALLY happened on that bridge? Co-stars Morgan Freeman, Jason Robards, Rip Torn and Gloria Foster provide equally interesting performances throughout. While some viewers, especially those living in the Atlanta communities affected by these events, may be dismayed or even angered by the portrayal of the law-enforcement authorities attempting to make sense of this case, their issue is more with the deliberate manner in which no real sides are taken by the producers of this film. If in more recent decades the historic portrayal of White apathy towards crimes committed on Blacks is universally deemed insulting or unacceptable, then perhaps some progress has been made after all.