Carolina Skeletons

"Carolina Skeletons" is loosely based upon a book of the same title which was a loose interpretation of what may have happened to George Stinney.

George Stinney is the youngest person in American history to be legally executed. He was a 14-year-old black boy in South Carolina accused of killing two white girls. Much like the movie indicated, George Stinney was a very slight 14-year-old to the point he looked like he could not have been older than 12.

"Carolina Skeletons" gives a plausible yet fictitious explanation as to what may have occurred to lead to Stinney being convicted and executed. So, because it's fictional the names are all different and even the actual location is different. The executed boy in "Carolina Skeletons" is Linus Bragg (Kenn Michael) instead of George Stinney.

I am a little bit displeased with the movie because it did not follow the book strictly enough. The only reason I watched this movie was because I read the book, and I liked the book. There are a few big digressions from the book in this movie.

Book: The murder was being investigated 44 years later.

Movie: The murder was being investigated 30 years later.

Book: James Willop, Linus's biracial nephew, comes back to investigate the crime.

Movie: James Bragg (Louis Gossett Jr.), Linus's non-biracial younger brother, comes back to investigate the crime.

Book: The murder is investigated in a sly manner so as to not hedge what he's working on.

Movie: James Bragg was brash and almost militant in his investigation.

If you add up these three facts from the book then it would make it a lot easier for a person to investigate such a murder in the deep South. The 1980s are going to be a lot less hostile and a lot less racially unfriendly than the 1960s. A biracial man who can pass for white will have access to things that a darker black man will not have access to. And a forward Black man in the 1960's south ran a big risk of being lynched. But in this movie they made it seem like the main character was this brash, no nonsense, semi-militant black man who was going to get the truth almost with force when that would probably never happen. In the book he had to use cunning and finesse and never let on to who he was, which I thought was a better depiction of the truth and even a better way of getting at the truth.

So, I liked the movie, though I did not like it as much as I had hoped. I would've liked for them to follow the book a lot more, but the overall importance was never lost--and that is that an innocent young black boy was executed for a crime he could not possibly have committed while a tremendously guilty white man lived out the rest of his days unpunished.

Just as a factual note: George Stinney's conviction was overturned in 2014, 70 years after his execution. Symbolically that is wonderful, but it's not like they brought him back to life and gave him his life back. That's something that they took from him that they can never restore no matter how many convictions they overturn.

If they had marketed this movie right, it might have done well in the box-office. This lifetime movie, is like no other. It has character depth, an interesting plot, and vivid direction. Don't be alarmed by the corny cover, this is a owner.

I agree with the other person's review that this would have done well at the box office and on the big screen. Its a shame that it was not. Its dark and disturbing, but very entertaining. The opening scene is a flashback scene thirty years before most of the movie took place, and its one of the most chilling and dramatic I ever saw. Witnessing one of the most heinous acts that could take place on planet Earth gets you into the movie from the start, a mysterious figure comes and destroys three young lives and shatters innocence. Lou Gossett Jr is in great form here, and his character's quest for the truth has all the classic entertainment of the who done it type mystery, brilliantly enhanced by the chilling opening scene. Not only that but it also instills empathy in the audience for the woes faced by the black community in the early years of the civil rights movement. In my humble opinion much more so than a film like A Time To Kill, which to me was entirely over the top. This is a superior film and much more realistic set in a time when this stain on American society was much more real and not the exaggerated exploitation it is today. Bruce Dern does his usual competent job in support, as does the rest of the cast. A must watch for anyone in any walk of life.

1944 - A 14-year old black boy, named Linus Bragg, is executed on the electric chair in Carolina, USA. He's accused of murder and rape on two 10-year old white girls. Thirty odd years later his younger brother returns to unravel the truth. It turns out to be a combination of racism, prejudice and money. Linus had been falsely accused, he was innocent. The movie shows some horrifying scenes. It really gets to you. The movie is based on a book by David Stout, and the book is reality-based. If you have the opportunity to see this movie, then go see it.

Lou Gossett heads a strong cast in this solidly stereotyped Southern murder investigation. What makes "Carolina Skeletons" unique is the logical unraveling of a 30 year old conspiracy, that protected the real killer of two little girls. Gossett's brother was hanged for a crime he did not commit, and there are plenty of suspects to eliminate, including a very active KKK. Bruce Dern is especially effective in a pivotal role as sheriff. The violence is somewhat subdued in favor of character development and a fine script. All in all an excellent example of race relations in the South, both 30 years ago and today. Recommended. - MERK