User reviews

Murder Mountain is, ultimately, an in-depth look at a family trying to seek justice for a murdered loved one in an area that has been defined by its "lawlessness" for generations due to the large amount of illegal cannabis grows once found there. Humboldt County, California is known for its "Emerald Triangle", where most of the illegal cannabis in the U.S.A. used to be grown and has gone through intense upheaval due to the legalization of cannabis in California (everybody wants a piece of the monetary pie). Lurking behind the cannabis industry, legal or illegal, are the sobering statistics regarding the amount of missing people in the region, the number of unsolved murders, and other crime stats this documentary didn't delve into, and a Sheriff's Office that's more intent on the cannabis industry than anything else (they'll say it's because illegal grows are the root of all evil, however, taxation and money appear to have a lot more influence on their actions than the causation of crime). The documentary, also, exposes what happens when a way of life is obliterated in the name of progress.

This doc captures not only the true crime facet, but also the problems with black and white market marijuana farming in California, which is proving to be the testing ground for the rest of the country. Ten stars all the way- was hooked from the opening scene.

Yes it was a little slow... but the beauty and disparity shown in Northern California make for an interesting backdrop and amazing film. Add in a true crisis (the black market history of pot) and some shady deep woods people and you have yourself an intriguing series that captures something I have never seen before.

I really enjoyed the subject matter and would have given this a 9 or 10 had it been only 3 episodes long. It looks like someone had a drone and spend a day or so flying over some beautiful scenery. Those scenes get boring after you see them 3, 4, 5... times. The same is true of the reenactments. How many times did we need to see the shooting reenactment? I lost count at 6. The numbers and finances were eye opening. A little more time spent there, even 5 minutes, would have helped explain the draw to this lifestyle. How are these people surviving? Do any of them pay property tax? Do they all get welfare/public assistance/social security checks?

And does anyone there know the past tense of see is "saw." ;-) The show is definitely worth watching but feel free to watch while doing something else.

Overlong with much repetition and some reconstructions in poor taste.

However the subject is very interesting in itself especially the failure of the war on drugs (and how close it was to really being a war in Humboldt county) and the success (apparently) of legalization...

A story of murder, guns, drugs, corruption, vigilantism, poverty, greed and idealism. As unsatisfying the results of the main case in this documentary are, the future gets an equally bleak outlook for the county from the film makers. A bad look for the cannabis industry too. I'm glad I watched the whole thing because the first 2 or so episodes had me asking if this was a Reefer Madness 2.0 type of thing. It isn't but it really doesn't take a positive view. But one of the things that really stood out was the incompetent and overwhelmed police. The enforcement at the end highlights how broken everything is.

Should be called Marijuana Mountain with a sprinkle of dead stuff.

I am lived, very close to Alderpoint from 1979 to 1985. This documentary is so accurate, and so haunting, I can't stop thinking about it. It really hits the nail on the head for where Humboldt County came from and where it went into the 80s and 90s. It was paradise when we first moved there it was a war zone when we finally left.

This was kind of interesting, BUT. . . It's so amazing/ disturbing to see people who were living there, in Humboldt County, people who had moved there precisely to take advantage of being black market marijuana growers- and especially those who moved there in the 1990's or later- decry the eventual legalization of marijuana (in California where this takes place), and at the same exact time relate their stories as if they are some kind of heroes, as if they were interested at all in people, improving things, etc. These growers were practicing abhorrent labor practices, taking advantage of workers, and making absolute bank, tax-free, with little labor cost, charging exorbitant prices for their product. . . like hello, look in the mirror. . . . . .the problem was YOU. You weren't doing a "good thing;" you were taking advantage of a situation that required violence, extortion, labor abuse, even kidnapping and murders.

This is a really good expose of how disgusting capitalism is. If you can stand to listen to the greedy, delusional, mean growers (there may have been some nice ones; but they, too, were taking advantage) and their families wax sentimental and poetic (vom!) about their disappointment in not being able to carry on their criminal enterprise that was making them lots of money, but once legalized, they couldn't get black market prices anymore and that made them so unhappy. Just wow.

Kind of difficult to watch the delusion and hypocrisy, over and over and over, as the growers interviewed tell their stories.

Great crime documentary series. Ive been getting into my true crime tv series lately and really thought this one was a cut above. Its really interesting cause I would say the series has real historical value, its one of the 1st I have seen about the end of prohibition of cannabis in USA which is huge political turning point. Other things I thought gave a unique perspective was the USAs police and how they deal with crimes when its criminal on criminal. Can they really state that every person has the same rights of protection under law? I dont think that this is unique to the USA however and the whole industrialised world adopts this strategy. A crime isnt a crime, its who it is commited against more often than not that counts. On top of that its an interesting insight into the criminal underbelly of US cannabis growers, its a story deserved of a mini series. 30 min to 1hr just dont do a true crime justice and you really need a good few hrs to absorb in the characters and the settings

I was drawn into this show right away during the opening narrative. I had just turned it on, on a whim, and was only prepared to give it a few minutes. I thought it was going to be a marijuana show, and I didn't think that beyond sensationalism that it would have substance. But I give it really high points because it was paced wonderfully. The weaving of the father's story, the history of the town and the marijuana farmers were all laid out so thoughtfully, that my interest was kept the entire time and I ended up binge watching it. I really hope they do a second season! I want to revisit the farmers, and maybe investigate another missing persons.

I think the people that made this film ended up smoking way too much pot. I would like to know more about the people who lived on murder Mountain. And more photos of the majestic redwoods.

My god this thing drags on. I couldn't watch anymore after 3 episodes which were three episodes too many. There is nothing I love more than a good documentary but this was just horribly pointless. I mean slow just for the sake of being slow. How could something named murder mountain be so boring and hard to connect to? Over-rated probably by stoners how have some connection to the locale.

* I really loved the scenery and cinematography, especially the drone shots from high above Humboldt County.

* Did a very good job of toe-ing the line between actual footage and re-enactments.

* I appreciate that Murder Mountain tells virtually every side of the story, and that it starts from the beginning, with the OGs, working its way into the present. It's a complex situation and the story touches on: crime, taxation, libertarianism, law enforcement (competent and incompetent), prison, technology, regulation, history, etc.

* I am getting sick of having to add a disclaimer like this to most of my reviews, but as with most IMDB entries, this one is being dragged down by unrealistic and overly negative 1- and 3- star reviews. I 100% disagree that the full scope and nuance of the situation could have been covered in one movie. Besides, what if I don't want to sit around and watch a 2-hour movie, but really enjoy being able to spread my viewing experience out over several days (or binge-watch all at once)? I really wish IMDB would implement some standards when it comes to excessively positive OR excessively negative reviews, as they really ruin the average in a lot of cases.

I thought this was going to be a murder mystery documentary but turned out to be more about marijuana in California. I burst out laughing when the growers complained about all the regulatory fees and studies they had to go through to be a legal business. That's the price you pay to live in a California pot growing utopia. As a business owner in California, I sure can commiserate.

As a vet I used to wonder why we spend billions of tax money to occupy nations that have done nothing to us while we have cartels on our southern border spilling over on our soil, so far as to have some areas displaying signs by the government dissuading people to go into them. After watching some of Murder Mountain I now also think there should be a countdown given to the growers there after which shock and awe would befall those that want to remain "outlaws". Further, it's a travesty that these people are taking a beautiful natural environment and turning it into something that would give the most inbred redneck areas a run for their money. It's utterly numbing that more people disappear there than anywhere in the state - and the county has a total population under 140,000. If the FBI has not begun to take this on, along with possibly other alphabet agencies, that is another factor in this story that just doesn't make any sense.

At the end of the day I don't oppose marijuana, and think all drugs should be legal, because the declaration of a silly war on drugs has never thwarted people seeking them out. But the greed and lack of accountability in Humboldt, and the fact that police are escorted by armed nobodies working for growers, coupled with the intense competition, the clinging to some sort of "outlaw" nonsensical motto, and the number of people that have vanished or ended up dead, it's high time the feds come in. And if the feds can't clean up a part of our nation perhaps it's time for our military to once again burn some crops; military cannot act as law enforcement, but while they burn crops of those that fail to become legal, other can make busy with arrests. The amount of weight that could come down on these people is immense, from loss of investment, loss of the ability to recover, arrest, and not to mention the IRS. As it stands, in my book, Humboldt is a cancerous growth as far as the state is concerned.

There was no structure in the documentary. It was taking too long to bring up the murders and the investigation around it.

This documentary does a great job showing how California's pot industry went from being artistic expression to big business. The artists who once cultivated the world's best weed have been sidelined for the big business that took over after legalization. The legalization movement was done once big business was ready to come in and commoditize marijuana. Small farmers have been shut down and now California has a short list of average strains that never impress an old pot smoker like me. I voted against legalization because I saw this coming. It is sad to see the California farmers put out of business by over regulation. Good documentary that I almost didn't watch because the name was off putting.

Then there's the story that drives this miniseries about how inept and corrupt the police are in this part of California. That elevates the story and kept me captivated. Why would the police fail to prosecute a murder when there's a body and a confession that 8 people witnessed? The FBI also pretended to look at the murder and blew off the victim's family. While the police are a necessary evil they are also just as corrupt and lazy and the criminals they investigate or pretend to investigate. A real eye-opener.

A whole lot of unsympathetic victims. What a sorry lifestyle. Live by the sword, die by the sword. Living outside of the law gives you no protection from the REALLY bad guys.

Sad such a beautiful place is ruined.

The endless repetition and lengthy drawn-out scenes made me fall asleep again and again - so giving this 3 stars for helping me with my insomnia.

Amazing! Really opens your mind about what is going on in the Northern California mountains! Have to watch! Can't make this up! It's like a modern day western!