Indictment: The McMartin Trial (1995) (TV)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Mick Jackson

Writers (WGA):

Abby Mann (written by) &
Myra Mann (written by)

Release Date:

20 May 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

The McMartin family's lives are turned upside down when they are accused of serious child molestation...

Plot Keywords:

Trial | Child Molestation | Children | School | Law

Awards:

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 5 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

James Woods	...	Danny Davis
Mercedes Ruehl	...	Lael Rubin
Lolita Davidovich	...	Kee McFarlane
Sada Thompson	...	Virginia McMartin
Henry Thomas	...	Ray Buckey
Shirley Knight	...	Peggy Buckey
Mark Blum	...	Wayne Satz
Alison Elliott	...	Peggy Ann Buckey
Chelsea Field	...	Christine Johnson
Joe Urla	...	Glenn Stevens
Scott Waara	...	Dean Gits
Valerie Wildman	...	Diana Sullivan
Richard Bradford	...	Ira Reiner
Roberta Bassin	...	Judy Johnson
Patricia Belcher	...	Juror #1

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic language and disturbing visuals related to a trial.

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | USA:R | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Abby Mann Productions

Trivia:

The real-life Peggy McMartin Buckey, imprisoned for two years while awaiting the outcome of the most protracted U.S. criminal molestation case targeting her family's preschool, died December 15, 2000. She, her mother Virginia McMartin and her son Ray Buckey were charged, with four others, with 100 counts of child molestation in 1983. The case lasted seven years and cost Los Angeles County $13 million. Peggy was acquitted in 1990 after a three-year trial; Ray, incarcerated for five years, was acquitted of 40 counts. Critics said the case pinpointed the danger of basing criminal charges solely on the testimony of young children.

Movie Connections:

Features "60 Minutes" (1968)

Really good

Indictment really catches the mind and makes you think. How one day, everything is normal and fine, but then it is instantly turned upside down. Of course for the McMartin family, there world is turned upside down in the most horrifying way: they, who ran a child-care facility, are accused of child molestation. With exception of Danny Davis (brilliantly played by James Woods) and the defense, the McMartin family is friendless and the issue of wheter they did it or not is lost on the public. They make the assumption they did it and treat them like dirt. It's like a modern Salem witch hunt. People like to be optimistic and think something like this will never happen in the US and people accused of a crime will never be treated this way, but this movie really proves the notion of 'Innocent until proven guilty' can be lost on people when the crime is big enough. See this movie.