Chi ha ucciso i ragazzi di Atlanta

I happened to catch this on TV, and wanted to watch because I remembered the Spin magazine article upon which the movie is based. I was very disappointed. First, if James Belushi is the lead actor in a movie, it should be a sign that it's not exactly an A-list production. Gregory Hines was a world class dancer, but sadly not a great actor.

In fact, all of the acting in this film is either flat or hammy, which can only be blamed on the director, who is this film's weakest link. Charles Carner seemed to be trying to ape Oliver Stone's "JFK" in portraying the alleged conspiracy to cover up the "real" child murderer(s), but without the benefit of a good script, an A-list cast or, it must be said, the talent. It just doesn't work.

It's a shame that such a worthy topic for a film did not get better treatment.

This movie is incredible. It tells the true story of two reporters as they try to uncover a conspiracy concerning the murders of young African American children from poverty-stricken areas of Atlanta. As they bring the truth into the open, their lives and the lives of their "allies" are put in danger as corrupt officials try to keep the story under wraps. The actors are superb but yet manage to keep you focused on the heart-wrenching story of innocence lost without letting you stray from the point at hand.

Released on video as "Echo of Murder", this film is a scrapbook docudrama which retells the history of the infamous early 80's Atlanta "Child Murders" through the investigative reporting of two journalists, Heins and Belushi. The film gathers momentum quickly and keeps up the pace though the story is more a regurgitation of history than an embellished drama. Worth a look for those unfamiliar with this dark time in Atlanta's history.

A racially mixed pair of reporters start out to cover the Atlanta child murder cases and come to believe that a huge KKK conspiracy is involved in the killings and it was covered up by a combination of police bungling and politics. The story is almost believable yet it fails to recognize that the situation was such that American black activists were all over the case too and it would seem very likely that they would publicize such a conspiracy and not just let the matter rest as it has. The film is a little too simplistic in that sense and doesn't cover any extensive interviews with the defendant or examine why or if the murders continued after his apprehension. I could readily understand the political motives for covering up such an inflammatory conspiracy but it seems too far fetched to believe that such a coverup would have to involve so many people of different races and views that it just seems to implausable. Good effort by Hines and Belushi though.

This Showtime original is definitely worth a look. I couldn't help but be reminded of "JFK" and a weekly show on The Learning Channel called "Medical Detectives". Much of the film is told in flashback and with second hand information ("Mrs. X reported seeing a green car near the railroad tracks, etc., etc. etc.). The performances are good and it brings angles to the story that I never knew existed. I won't reveal anything as that would spoil it. It also reminded me of "All the President's Men" a little with the two stars doing their best to uncover the facts. Check it out.