Devil's Knot (2013)

Caution: This Might Contain Spoilers!

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This film is based off the true events of the Memphis Three case. Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers, and Michael Moore are murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas.  After a shocking confession, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley are accused of murdering the three boys due to a satanic ritual.

This film was directed by Atom Egoyan. This film follows a well known story that has been previously shown in documentaries. This film does not resort to sensationalism, or much altering, to make it more glamorized. It follows the trail and shows the troubles the defendants faced when the world was against them. It also slowly delves into hidden truths about the failed police investigations, and the failure of the courts in hearing all evidence equally. It also shows what later evidence has revealed about the murders. This film keeps more to the evidence and trails instead of showing more of the secondary character's strife. It does well at slowly peeling away at the evidence for people who are not familiar with the incident. The story does present an image of how a terrified public can be misguided in their decisions because of blind faith. A good thing the film does is in keeping the characters realistic. Reese Witherspoon played the role of Pam Hobbs. It is great watching her take on more mature roles. In this film she plays the role of a grieving mother seeking an answer to her son's death. She does an emotional performance that could have been built on make the story more compelling-especially during the ending. Colin Firth played the role of Ron Lax. His character is a desperate private investigator working for the defendant's lawyers. His character really drives the story since he links together all the missing facts. He does offer the film some emotion, but his character remains too much like a struggling investigator without varied deep emotions.

I give this film 3 out of 5 stars! It is a general good film that presents the facts of a troubling trail. It just lacks the right amount of compassion to drive this film.

Answer to last blog: Actor Frank Grillo, The Purge: Anarchy, did not star in the film Captain American: The First Avenger.

Que: What other film has Atom Egoyan directed?

The Blind Side
Chloe
The Bad Lieutenant: Port to Call-New Orleans
Broken Embraces