Crown Heights

Initially set in the early 1980's, in Brooklyn, N.Y., this is a very deliberately paced yet powerful dramatic portrayal of the wrongful conviction of 18-year-old Colin Warner (Lakeith Stanfield). At that time crime was soaring throughout the nation, and police, prosecutors, and politicians were looking for convictions, not caring much how they got them.

In this true story case, Warner was convicted when the police pressured witnesses enough to give false testimony and seal his fate. Languishing in a maximum security prison, Warner received tireless aid from his close friend KC (Nnamdi Asomugha) and later from his wife-to-be (Natalie Paul) and a dedicated attorney (Bill Camp)

These type of movies always make me angry because I don't understand how people in powerful positions can allow others to rot in jail for long periods of time while knowing that they're innocent. How do these folks live with themselves?

All in all, this film, written and directed by Matt Ruskin, is not for those looking for an action flick, but if you like quiet yet powerful movies then you might very well like this one.

This was such a great movie but hurts to know that this takes place every single day in our judicial system. The film is based on a true story and is amazing when you see what miracles they did with such a limited budget. Glad to know amazon gave this story a chance and look forward to great movies like this in the future. Well done

Based on the true story of Colin Warner who was wrongfully convicted of murder and spent more than 20 years in jail and his friend Carl King who devoted himself to prove Colin's innocence Crown Heights is a powerful film that shows how the system fails the people who need it the most. Having experience with making documentaries Matt Ruskin knows how to not make the actors be melodramatic and yet succeeds to make the viewers on the verge of tears. Lakeith Stanfield is excellent as Colin portraying the teenage confusion to the matured man. The focus of the film is mostly given to the failing judiciary and how it affects the people. There have been films dealing with such subjects before but the significance of such films has not diminished, these type of subjects are needed from time to time as a reminder about the world we live in.

The number of people walking out of this movie in tears is enough you need to know. An emotionally draining film that is honest and not withholding.

Having gone into this movie knowing nothing about this case, I must say this movie captivated me and kept me intrigued throughout the entire movie. As the movie progressed I found myself sitting up in bed, not daring to look away from the screen. It pulled all of my emotions into it making me angry, sad, excited, happy.. and I found myself yelling at the TV time and time again out of frustration. And being based on a true story and getting to see some of the live footage at the end of the film was the cherry on top.

This is a truly fantastic movie that I cannot recommend enough. It will pull you in and make you truly care for the characters. When the characters cried, I cried, when the characters were mad, I was mad. I've always believed that a great movie is one that makes you forget that you're watching a movie, and this one did exactly that. Highly recommend watching this movie.