FREE, WHITE AND 21 is an early film in the career of indie director Larry Buchanan, a man best known for his dreadful science fiction pictures that saw some measure of public release when AIP picked them up for distribution in the late 1960s. Before then, he tried his hand at a variety of genres, and this one is a courtroom drama flavoured by the likes of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.
The story is about a black motel owner who has been accused of raping a white woman staying at his motel. The jury consider the evidence and brief flashbacks are shown of the events leading to the crime. It's entirely set-bound and rather slow and uninteresting, feeling more than a little staged and dated in its approach to the material.
The story is about a black motel owner who has been accused of raping a white woman staying at his motel. The jury consider the evidence and brief flashbacks are shown of the events leading to the crime. It's entirely set-bound and rather slow and uninteresting, feeling more than a little staged and dated in its approach to the material.