American Hangman

During the first scene of 'American Hangman' I thought to myself this seems an awful lot like 'Saw'. Then one of the characters actually mentioned the scenario being similar to 'Saw' (without ever actually mentioning the title) and I realised this film may just be smarter than I anticipated. Thankfully it turned out I was right.

The film is a fun ride from start to finish. The pacing is the best thing this has going for it. I was never bored for a second. There were multiple different angles the story was being told from and each served its purpose well. It was also twisty without being overbearing or obvious.

The only real let-downs were some clunky dialogues (particularly near the start, things seemed to improve as the film went along) and an ending that I felt could have been handled better. It was a smart film and I felt it could've been smarter in its conclusion. Overall though I had a great time with 'American Hangman' and would highly recommend that people give it a look.

Sutherland's appearance as the only A-lister is surprising but his performance is solid as always, while the rest of the cast is good considering they are virtual unknowns. The story is fairly unique and full of potential even if the execution is a bit silly. It brings up valid concerns about the justice system and social media, although for me it's a little too preachy. Verdict: Worth watching as long as expectations are kept fairly low.

Not a bad movie, my guess is they spent most of the budget on Donald Sutherland, but money well spent. Others talk about how this movie reflects on the criminal justice system, and it does, but I think it does so just as well on court of public opinion, the media, and social media. It does beg the question of how anyone does get a fair trial in today's 24 hour news cycle and viral social media.

"American Hangman" is a made in Canada crime thriller that fires plenty of pot shots at the American judicial system. While the points are laid on a bit thick, there is still much to chew on here. Well intentioned. Well acted. And the great Donald Sutherland (a native Canuck) classes up any joint.

My first issue is the world is watching this, as are the police and they are not even scrambling to find where this is coming from... instead they are talking about retirement and the past. Plus the news lady is so awful and the FCC and FBI would never let this air on TV. Donald S is always a great actor, I only lasted watching it because of him. The end was RIDICULOUS .. these officers that go in don't just start shooting anything. Lastly I don't think as a society we've gotten so uncaring that we'd vote guilty to watch an old man be shot live SMH