Anatomy of a Hate Crime (2001) (TV)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Tim Hunter

Writer (WGA):

Max Ember (written by)

Release Date:

10 January 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Fact-based drama centering on the brutal 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, an openly homosexual college student in Wyoming...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Hate Crime | Homosexual | Wyoming | Matthew Shepard

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Cy Carter	...	Matthew Shepard
Brendan Fletcher	...	Aaron McKinney
Ian Somerhalder	...	Russell Henderson
Busy Philipps	...	Chasity Pasley
Amanda Fuller	...	Kristen Price
Gabrielle Miller	...	Kara Dupree
Richard Stroh	...	Carter Grey
Timothy Webber	...	Officer Slade
Grant Linneberg	...	Ofc. John Ryan
Carrie Schiffler	...	Officer Vicky Reese
David Haysom	...	Barrett Cooper
Andy Maton	...	Professor Tilden
John Innes	...	Judge Kramer
Karen Barker	...	Counselor
Kevin McNulty	...	Carl Manzani

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Black Diamond, Alberta, Canada

Company:

Team Entertainment

Movie Connections:

References Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

The story of the Matthew Shepard tragedy deserves better than this

I was in college in Laramie, Wyoming, at the time of the Matthew Shepard tragedy, and will always be ashamed that such a crime could have taken place in my community. With that said, this movie gets it all wrong. They went for easy plot devices, the furthering of stereotypes (which shouldn't be Matthew's legacy), and a misrepresentation of the community. The sad part is that with a little work, they could have made a film that sent a lasting message. Instead they made a movie that portrayed a town full of simple minded rednecks who somehow have Southern accents, a police force consisting of a Barney Fife cop, and a total reinvention of certain parts of the story. Being that the idiots that murdered Matthew came from Laramie, examining the responsibility of the community is fair, but this isn't examination. This is lazy story telling that MTV unfortunately passed off as an educational film (They used to show it late at night without commercials as part of their Cable in the Classroom series so educators could tape it). If you want to see the definitive movie (or play) on the Matthew Shepard tragedy, see The Laramie Project. That movie doesn't let anyone off the hook. It doesn't look for easy answers, and it gives the subject matter the true examination it deserves.