Un coupable idéal

Hollywood could not have written this story. Thank God for

documentaries! This story is the frightening tale of a young, unassmuing

black teenager who is wrongfully accused the murder of an elderly white

female tourist. The police are arrogant, corrupt and shameless. The prosecutor seemed

almost non-chalant in her pursuit of the facts and the husband of the

victim was a victim of his own grief and bias. The heroes are the family of the accused and the defense attorney. The

filmmaker was so priveledged to be allowed into the home and church of

the young man's family. The warmth of scenes in the family's church were

well juxtaposed with the sterile wood paneled cortroom. This film should

be required viewing at every police academy in the

On the morning of the 7th May 2000, Mary Ann Stephens and her husband were accosted by a young black man who held them up at gunpoint, taking her purse and shooting her at point blank range. A matter of hours afterwards police pack up 15 year old Brenton Butler after the husband identifies him on the street. Butler is interviewed and signs a confession which he says he was forced to sign. This film follows Public Defenders Ann Linnel and Patrick McGuiness as they defend Butler on all charges.

I watched this film expecting some form of fireworks akin to a fictional courtroom thriller – these were not forthcoming, I was misled by the advertising. However the outcome is a stronger film because it is not an extraordinary case, or one that is unusual. This is alarming due to the nature of the investigation which is lacking at best – brutal at worst. The fact that McGuiness does more investigation than the police is worrying simply because I refuse to believe that every court appointed attorney is as professional as he is depicted here – or as thorough. I'm sure many in his situation must grow numb to the numbers of young black men who pass through the courts daily.

Having mentioned his colour, I was pleased to note that the film never played the race card once. Even the fact that the husband could clearly care less which black kid he picked wasn't played up. This is helped by the fact that one of the officers involved in the courtroom is black, but it is refreshing to look at the courtroom scenario without having someone shout `racist' every 2 minutes. The focus of the film is very much on the process of the trial. As such, McGuiness is a likeable and honest guide, his interviews are scattered throughout him working the court and he makes interesting observations. His actual work in court is very sharp and he is very skilful attorney. I suspect the angelic light that the film casts him in may not be totally true but he is certainly not the other side of the spectrum as many of the others here are. It is alarming to see officers completely neglect their duties simply because they have already made their minds up.

As a documentary this is a solid film that does very well to condense the trial down without doing it a disservice. The only area I felt it could have done better with was in presenting a balanced view of the trial – the prosecutor is only really in objectives and a brief closing statement. I can't help wondering if a film about `a black man being prosecuted by an unjust system' winning the Oscar was a little to do with the politics of Hollywood, but regardless I'm glad this won.

Overall this is not a wild legal ride – in fact the details of the case are not that extraordinary (in terms of the crime). However this is the film's strength – it shows how easy it would be for one man to be locked up in jail for life, how twisted the system can be but also, happily, how the system works just fine when it is not abused or perverted.

I don't need to say much about how good this documentary is--it's truly an amazing piece of true narrative. The story is simple enough: a white senior citizen tourist is murdered by a young black man in Florida, and the boy who is arrested is mistreated and put on trial with only the public defender and his family on his side. It's very enthralling, and the public defender is a joy to watch in all his human ways--you can't help but pull for the triumph of justice, and the ending fulfills more than could be expected of a true story.

It's a shame more people haven't seen this documentary, but hopefully you will find a way to watch it. For those interested in race relations in the United States, and the actual workings of law enforcement and the legal process, it's well worth your time and effort to find this documentary. I give it a 10.

I'm pleased that this was the work of foreign cinematographers because it can't be accused of unfair bias. With absolutely no cause, the Jacksonville cops rush to judgment in this case and pick the first black suspect to accuse of the murder of a white, foreign tourist. They picked a 15 yr. old kid who is just about as close to a saint as you could randomly find and then make fools of themselves trying to pin an unlikely case against him. In addition to the unfairness resulting from the blatant prejudice there is the matter of 6 months of unjust imprisonment of a completely innocent young black teenager. It makes one question whether as a society we should compensate those who are charged, imprisoned and subsequently found innocent. This docudrama is well produced, professionally recorded and presented in a captivating package from which you won't want to take a 1 minute break. If you care about social justice, don't miss this one. It certainly deserved its Oscar.

I happened to leave HBO on last night following Six Feet Under. What ran next has left me speechless. What an incredible piece of work. I don't just recommend this, I MANDATE that you see this. It's better than anything Hollywood could ever ruin. I just hope they never get their hands on it.