West of Memphis (2012)

An examination of a failure of justice in the case against the West Memphis Three.

Director:

Amy Berg

Writers:

Amy Berg, Billy McMillin

Stars:

Jason Baldwin, Damien Wayne Echols, Jessie Misskelley

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 8 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Michael Baden	...	Himself (as Dr. Michael Baden)
Jason Baldwin	...	Himself
Holly Ballard	...	Herself
Jamie Clark Ballard	...	Herself
Jennifer Bearden	...	Herself
Patrick Benca	...	Himself
Steve Braga	...	Himself
Karen Bruewer	...	Herself
David Burnett	...	Himself
John Mark Byers	...	Himself (as Mark Byers)
Michael Carson	...	Himself
Dennis Carter	...	Himself
Joyce Cureton	...	Herself
Lorri Davis	...	Herself
Vincent Di Maio	...	Himself

Storyline

West of Memphis is an examination of a failure of justice in Arkansas. The documentary tells the hitherto unknown story behind an extraordinary and desperate fight to bring the truth to light. Told and made by those who lived it, the filmmakers' unprecedented access to the inner workings of the defense, allows the film to show the investigation, research and appeals process in a way that has never been seen before; revealing shocking and disturbing new information about a case that still haunts the American South.

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Plot Keywords:

west memphis three | arkansas | three word title | ends with text | release from prison | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

14A

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

New Zealand USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 November 2012 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

A Oeste de Memphis

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$13,360 (USA) (28 December 2012)

Gross:

$309,864 (USA) (19 April 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Disarming Films, WingNut Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

147 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Episode #10.1 (2013)

User Reviews

"Justice delayed is justice denied"

West of Memphis

This documentary, produced by Peter Jackson, examines the 1993 triple homicide of three eight-year-olds, investigation and trial of three teenagers and the subsequent efforts to overturn their conviction. While the story itself spans a 20-year period, this documentary focuses upon the most recent attempts at re-examining the evidence and freeing those convicted (one of whom confessed).

The story's already been told in HBO's "Paradise Lost" 1 - 3 (yep, this is the FOURTH doc on the subject), but this tale has been going on for twenty-years and has had multiple layers. If you haven't seen any of the other movies, or know nothing of the case, not to worry - West of Memphis does a fantastic job telling you the story from start to finish and in refreshing the memories for those of us to whom it's familiar.

I'm normally not bothered by graphic images, but my only complaint for this movie is the frequency of the explicit crime scene and autopsy photos of the victims - truly disturbing and haunting...I felt it was too much and took away from the film - the story itself, and sad realization that there were six actual victims, is overwhelming enough without being visually assaulted. I'm not one to normally feel the need to close my eyes or to look away, but here, I did.

And what a shame, by forcing me to look away, it forced me to tentatively recommend this film to everyone - it's tough to watch and revisiting how six children lost their lives is harrowing. While our country has the best justice system in the world, it's not perfect and works best for those who are able to afford the finest legal council money can buy (right, OJ?!) - in any case, "Justice delayed is justice denied".

I highly recommend it - but, I've warned you...it's tough.