Murder Mountain

Murder Mountain is, ultimately, an in-depth look at a family trying to seek justice for a murdered loved one in an area that has been defined by its "lawlessness" for generations due to the large amount of illegal cannabis grows once found there. Humboldt County, California is known for its "Emerald Triangle", where most of the illegal cannabis in the U.S.A. used to be grown and has gone through intense upheaval due to the legalization of cannabis in California (everybody wants a piece of the monetary pie). Lurking behind the cannabis industry, legal or illegal, are the sobering statistics regarding the amount of missing people in the region, the number of unsolved murders, and other crime stats this documentary didn't delve into, and a Sheriff's Office that's more intent on the cannabis industry than anything else (they'll say it's because illegal grows are the root of all evil, however, taxation and money appear to have a lot more influence on their actions than the causation of crime). The documentary, also, exposes what happens when a way of life is obliterated in the name of progress.

I thought this was going to be a murder mystery documentary but turned out to be more about marijuana in California. I burst out laughing when the growers complained about all the regulatory fees and studies they had to go through to be a legal business. That's the price you pay to live in a California pot growing utopia. As a business owner in California, I sure can commiserate.

Overlong with much repetition and some reconstructions in poor taste.

However the subject is very interesting in itself especially the failure of the war on drugs (and how close it was to really being a war in Humboldt county) and the success (apparently) of legalization...

* I really loved the scenery and cinematography, especially the drone shots from high above Humboldt County.

* Did a very good job of toe-ing the line between actual footage and re-enactments.

* I appreciate that Murder Mountain tells virtually every side of the story, and that it starts from the beginning, with the OGs, working its way into the present. It's a complex situation and the story touches on: crime, taxation, libertarianism, law enforcement (competent and incompetent), prison, technology, regulation, history, etc.

* I am getting sick of having to add a disclaimer like this to most of my reviews, but as with most IMDB entries, this one is being dragged down by unrealistic and overly negative 1- and 3- star reviews. I 100% disagree that the full scope and nuance of the situation could have been covered in one movie. Besides, what if I don't want to sit around and watch a 2-hour movie, but really enjoy being able to spread my viewing experience out over several days (or binge-watch all at once)? I really wish IMDB would implement some standards when it comes to excessively positive OR excessively negative reviews, as they really ruin the average in a lot of cases.

This doc captures not only the true crime facet, but also the problems with black and white market marijuana farming in California, which is proving to be the testing ground for the rest of the country. Ten stars all the way- was hooked from the opening scene.