Devil's Knot

For decades now, Hollywood has been mining the headlines for inspiration. It was only a matter of time before studio executives turned their attention to the West Memphis Three: a trio of teenagers who were convicted - most likely wrongfully - of murdering three young boys and sentenced to life in prison. You might imagine that the resulting movie would be every bit as disturbing, tragic and thought- provoking as the actual case itself. But Devil's Knot is more respectful than effective as a film, covering the facts without really getting to the heart of the matter.

On a summer day like any other, Pam Hobbs (Reese Witherspoon) waves goodbye to her little boy Steve as he heads off on his bike with his two friends. It would be the last time she sees him alive. When three bodies turn up in a rain-washed river, the local authorities conclude that the murders bear shades of a Satanic ritual. As a result, other leads - a bloodied man stumbling into a diner near the scene of the crime, a young man (Dane DeHaan) with an odd interest in the boys - fall by the wayside. Instead, three teenagers with an interest in the occult - Damien Echols (James Hamrick), Jason Baldwin (Seth Meriwether) and Jessie Misskelley Jr. (Kristopher Higgins) - become the targets of a community and legal system eager to find answers, even if it means looking in all the wrong places.

It's easy to see why these murders, which took place in 1993, have remained so compelling and fascinating, even twenty years later. Mixed up in the heartbreakingly tragic loss of three young lives are weighty themes of prejudice, religious bias and the miscarriage of justice. With new leads consistently popping up that continue to throw the original judicial decision into doubt, it's small wonder that private investigators like Ron Lax (played by a rather miscast Colin Firth in the film) find themselves turning over and over the facts of the case, trying to figure out how the police narrowed their search in a way that seemed to lead to obvious - and likely erroneous - conclusions.

But Atom Egoyan's film never really delves into the horror and humanity of the story it wants to tell. At some point along the way, the film shifts into documentary mode, hitting the story beats but never really finding its heart. There are a couple of emotional moments that come courtesy of Witherspoon's shell-shocked Pam, but very little insight is otherwise provided into the psyches of the characters. We spend hardly any time with the parents of the other two victims, and we're never really given the opportunity to come to grips with the seemingly stone-cold Damien or his two alleged accomplices - a befuddled Jason and a haplessly confused Jessie.

For anyone unfamiliar with the West Memphis Three, Devil's Knot will serve as a good enough primer: it's a dutiful version of the story, with the bare facts alone capable of chilling most people to the bone. But anyone who's more interested in the twists, turns, implications and consequences of the case might be better served by looking elsewhere. There are a few actual documentaries out there - the Paradise Lost series and West Of Memphis (produced by Peter Jackson) - that are considerably more incisive in their approach to these murders.

"Devil's Knot" has gotten a lukewarm reception from audiences and this is ill-deserved. The film is a perfect-pitch plainsong retelling of the case of the West Memphis Three. Atom Egoyan is a master of understated film-making, but perfectly depicts the aura, atmosphere, cultural inclinations and Bible-belt provincial biases of the participants without being garish. Marvelous performances from Reese Witherspoon, Bruce Greenwood,Colin Firth and several others are on view here. Mireille Enos's lightning-catching turn as Vicki Hutcheson, in which she brilliantly channels uneducated de classe white-trash coarseness, is worth sitting through the entire film. The esteem in which this competent film is held will grow with time.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

In 1993, three young boys were found murdered in the river of a southern town in America. The finger of suspicion fell on several heavy metal obsessed teenagers, who were suspected of being involved in devil worship. On learning that the death penalty was being considered, attorney Ron Lax (Colin Firth) springs in to action, assembling a legal team to represent the boys in court and overcome the hysteria of the town. While desperate for closure and keeping a narrow grip on her sanity, Pam (Reese Witherspoon), one of the bereaved mothers, is also unable to clear herself of doubt over the boys guilt.

While not what could be called a fact is stranger than fiction piece of work, Devil's Knot also has a more engaging quality somehow on the grounds that it's based on a true story, serving as it does as an examination of the legal system, and of people's small mindedness and tendency towards knee jerk reactions in the face of acts of over- whelming evil. In as unflinching a style as one can expect from modern films, it dramatizes the true horror and subsequent raw emotions of a small town on the edge. It's helped no end by reliably stellar performances from the lead stars and supporting cast, and it's all pretty on the level, but it's also sadly not the sum of it's parts.

As well as staging it all pretty well, director Atom Egoyan also strives to keep the authenticity to a high standard, with Firth delivering a fine American accent, at the top of every other little minor detail. Somehow, though, he manages to muddle the pace up, delivering a film that while telling a compelling story, is detailed in a slightly meandering, plodding fashion that stops it being the sum of it's parts. The parts this effects most is the conclusion, delivering a pay off that could have been electrifying, but as a result is merely perfunctory.

Still, it's a riveting, interesting real life thriller, boosted no ends from great turns by two reliable lead performers. ***

"If you don't have a strong case the state is gonna kill 3 young men and I can't stand by and watch that happen." In 1993 three 8 year old boys were savagely murdered. The state tried three teenagers as adults for the killings and claimed they were murdered as part of a satanic cult ritual. This is the story of the trial and how Ron Lax (Firth) tried to help the defense and how one of the mother's (Witherspoon) dealt with the loss and aftermath. I knew very little of the actual story going in. This is a movie that reminded me of the Aviator in the way that I watched a documentary and read more about the events after it was over and found those to be better and more interesting then the movie. The cast is great and has many big names as well as 3 Oscar winners, but at best this felt like a made-for-TV movie. I found it hard to really get into and was disappointed especially with this cast. I'm not saying it's not worth seeing but if you get a chance read and watch anything else on the West Memphis Three, you will be more informed and more interested then you would if you watch this movie. Overall, not bad but could have been so much better. I give this a B-.

I had loosely heard of the West Memphis Three for years, but only now do I understand the full story. I'd say that Atom Egoyan is the proper director, since he specializes in grim topics (a school bus crash, the Armenian Genocide, etc). The preacher's claim that satanic music caused the defendants to commit the murders sounds like the typical stuff that we hear from religious nuts. As for the movie's focus on Stevie Branch's family as opposed to all three families, it was most likely because they cast Reese Witherspoon as the mother.

The movie ends by noting what happened in the years after the trial ended. What's most intriguing is that the man who came into Bojangles's and was never seen again. What secrets do all the people in West Memphis hide? Whatever the case, this sounds like one horrifying event. "Devil's Knot" is not a great movie, but I recommend it. Also starring Colin Firth, Mireille Enos, Alessandro Nivola and Bruce Greenwood.