American Manhunt: O.J. Simpson

30 years ago we were shocked by the "not guilty" verdict of OJ Simpson after viciously killing his ex wife and an innocent man delivering some left behing goggles. Having read the detailed, informed and meticulous reports by Dominick Dunne in Vanity Fair, plus having seen American Crime Story and ESPN's 30 by 30 documentaries, revisiting that atrocious trial turns my guts inside out, but at the same time shows how rotten and fractured the country that once was the most powerful in the world has become. So rotten that it has just chosen a convicted felon, narcissistic buffoon to be their president. Twice. Watching the awfully distorted defense attorney Carl Douglas spitting out his resentment with his smallpox poked face pretending his client was innocent tells a lot about how hypocrisy permeates this once morally outstanding nation. The fact that Netflix is able to renew my indignation while I'm watching those crooks have the light of day, again, is proof that the series is really well made and to the point. I hope you don't rest in peace, OJ.

It's a story we've all heard a million times by now, so it's nothing particularly groundbreaking. It was interesting to hear from some of the witnesses who never testified. As bad as human memory and eyewitness testimony is, it's still considered good evidence, and may have actually done something impactful in this case. The one thing this documentary did manage to do that I was impressed with was to find the only person in America who seems to still honestly believe OJ was innocent. I get that he has a business and he can't go around saying his former clients were guilty, but come on man. Of course OJ did it.

Well put together documentary but nothing really new. But, it did once again remind of what a miscarriage of justice this verdict was. The fact that Carl Douglas & Thompson could sit there & act like OJ wasn't guilty as hell was sickening. And the jury will forever have blood on their hands. I can't say that I totally understand the racial dynamics & mistrust between the LAPD & the black community, but the evidence was there & they used their verdict to send a message. But, what if had been their loved one? I'm not sure we really needed another documentary on this crime unless someone is going to tell us that he confessed to someone. There is no new information. Just a tragic reminder of how money, celebrity & the twisting of the black community's historical issues with the LAPD let a murderer go free.

The Ezra Edelman series from 2016 was so good I couldn't help but compare the new Netflix series to that. I remember the day the verdict was read I was in Paris, CA at a Walmart watching the verdict being read and the shouts of joy from the people around me. It's hard to believe anyone actually believed he was not guilty at the time. Payback for Rodney King? Perhaps...

This series is very well produced and informative and there were a few things I had not heard before. I wish Marcia Clark was involved with this series besides file tape but I can understand not wanting to go through the story yet again.

Netflix's American Manhunt: The O. J. Simpson Case attempts to revisit one of the most infamous criminal cases in American history. While it does a solid job of laying out the details of the case, presents interesting insights, archival footage, and expert commentary, there is one major issue that makes it almost unbearable to watch: Carl Douglas.

Douglas's delivery is so over-the-top and obnoxious that it completely pulls you out of the experience. He could have simply told his story like a normal person, but instead, he chooses to dramatize everything, making his segments exhausting and difficult to sit through. Every time he appeared on screen, it felt like he was performing in a one-man show rather than contributing meaningful insight. His presence alone makes the series frustrating at times.

That being said, if you can tolerate Douglas's relentless theatrics and some slow moments, American Manhunt is still a good docuseries.