Devil's Knot (2013)

The savage murders of three young children sparks a controversial trial of three teenagers accused of killing the kids as part of a Satanic ritual.

Director:

Atom Egoyan

Writers:

Paul Harris Boardman (screenplay), Scott Derrickson (screenplay)

Stars:

Colin Firth, Reese Witherspoon, Alessandro Nivola

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Reese Witherspoon	...	Pam Hobbs
Colin Firth	...	Ron Lax
Alessandro Nivola	...	Terry Hobbs
James Hamrick	...	Damien Echols
Seth Meriwether	...	Jason Baldwin
Kristopher Higgins	...	Jessie Misskelley (as Kris Higgins)
Amy Ryan	...	Margaret Lax
Robert Baker	...	Detective Bryan Ridge
Collette Wolfe	...	Glori Shettles
Rex Linn	...	Chief Inspector Gitchell
Bruce Greenwood	...	Judge Burnett
Kristoffer Polaha	...	Val Price
Matt Letscher	...	Paul Ford
Michael Gladis	...	Dan Stidham
Stephen Moyer	...	John Fogleman

Storyline

Based on the actual events of the West Memphis Three, where three young boys were savagely murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas in 1993. Spurred on by the demand from a grieving town, the local police act quickly to bring three "devil-worshipping" teenagers to trial. With their lives hanging in the balance, investigator Ron Lax is trying to find the truth between the town's need for justice and the guilt of the accused.

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Plot Keywords:

west memphis three | year 1993 | angry mob | police interrogation | police investigation | 

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Taglines:

Im Schatten der Wahrheit (In the shadow of the truth). (German DVD cover artwork)

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Atom Egoyan's first American production.

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Goofs

During the daytime scene at the dead-end where police and media are gathering there is a news van with markings that read "KQWK 17 News - West Memphis." There are no TV stations based in West Memphis, Arkansas. West Memphis gets its local television news from Memphis, just six miles away, across the Mississippi River in Tennessee.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Stevie Branch: [sings] Well, that's all right, mama / That's all right for you / That's all right, mama, just any way you do.

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Connections

Referenced in La noche de...: La noche de... Condenados (2018)

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Soundtracks

Wade in the Water
Arranged and Performed by Eva Cassidy
Courtesy of Blix Street Records
By arrangement with Forman Bros. Recordings

User Reviews

"There's power in the blood"

Based on the book by the same title, DEVIL's KNOT is a docu-drama about the 1993 ritual murders of three eight-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. This film does not contain any basic information that is not already covered in the documentaries PARADISE LOST and WEST of MEMPHIS. It does, however, provide some fairly interesting reenacted personal perspectives of the various parties: victims' families, the accused "Memphis 3" and certain of their friends, the police and prosecution, the defense teams, etc. DEVIL's KNOT makes for a compelling enough show and is expertly filmed with decent but not great acting. Though I'm sure that there are some misrepresentations of certain details, it is faithful to the basic events of this case. The biggest limitation is that those who have read the various books and seen earlier films will not find anything terribly new here while casual viewers who are unfamiliar with the case will find all the various characters and shifting perspectives confusing.

Colin Firth gives a nice performance as private investigator for the defense Ron Lax; ditto for Reese Witherspoon as Pam Hobbs. DEVIL's KNOT might have worked better with a stricter focus on one or maybe both of these characters, even if that meant ignoring certain other people and factors in the case.

Regardless, this film is very revealing of how incompetent police work, selective use of evidence by the prosecution, and public hysteria in this rather superstitious Bible Belt community led to the denial of reasonable doubt for the accused "Memphis 3." Without telling you what to think or pointing the finger unduly, it also cursorily examines other potential suspects. There are some brief bits of courtroom drama, but again, the focus changes just as things get really interesting.

In short, DEVIL's KNOT is quite watchable, but the attempt to tell the entire story in a narrative of less than two hours is inadequate and dissatisfying.

WARNING: Though there's not a lot of gore, there are some brief and graphic post mortem shots of the young victims.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 March 2014 (Philippines)

Also Known As:

Devil's Knot

Filming Locations:

Morrow, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,033,154

Company Credits

Production Co:

Worldview Entertainment, Clear Pictures Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1