Crown Heights

Initially set in the early 1980's, in Brooklyn, N.Y., this is a very deliberately paced yet powerful dramatic portrayal of the wrongful conviction of 18-year-old Colin Warner (Lakeith Stanfield). At that time crime was soaring throughout the nation, and police, prosecutors, and politicians were looking for convictions, not caring much how they got them.

In this true story case, Warner was convicted when the police pressured witnesses enough to give false testimony and seal his fate. Languishing in a maximum security prison, Warner received tireless aid from his close friend KC (Nnamdi Asomugha) and later from his wife-to-be (Natalie Paul) and a dedicated attorney (Bill Camp)

These type of movies always make me angry because I don't understand how people in powerful positions can allow others to rot in jail for long periods of time while knowing that they're innocent. How do these folks live with themselves?

All in all, this film, written and directed by Matt Ruskin, is not for those looking for an action flick, but if you like quiet yet powerful movies then you might very well like this one.

Once again, the enormous weaknesses of a country's judicial and prison system are demonstrated. Once again, it is clear the level of poverty and misery of several black families, which survive as means of drug distribution in many cases. According to a statistic that appeared at the end of the film, there are more than 2.5 million convicts in the United States, of whom an estimated 120,000 are innocent. Imagine an innocent sentenced to life imprisonment, who returns the life lost in prison? That, if it is finally proven innocent, which does not always seem very likely. The plot of this film is a sharp nail to assimilate for those who proclaim the existence of another pleasant and unreal environment. Tyrannies and dictatorships without mercy are condemned, something very fair, but criticism of the imperfections of the so-called democracy is not accepted, it is scary to speak about it when it comes to gross violations of human rights. Congratulations to the director and the rest of the team that made this movie.

Having gone into this movie knowing nothing about this case, I must say this movie captivated me and kept me intrigued throughout the entire movie. As the movie progressed I found myself sitting up in bed, not daring to look away from the screen. It pulled all of my emotions into it making me angry, sad, excited, happy.. and I found myself yelling at the TV time and time again out of frustration. And being based on a true story and getting to see some of the live footage at the end of the film was the cherry on top.

This is a truly fantastic movie that I cannot recommend enough. It will pull you in and make you truly care for the characters. When the characters cried, I cried, when the characters were mad, I was mad. I've always believed that a great movie is one that makes you forget that you're watching a movie, and this one did exactly that. Highly recommend watching this movie.

This is a deeply important movie, honestly and beautifully, told. The acting was impeccable and the score was beautiful. The story is truly powerful. Every American should see this movie. We need to understand the ugly truth of how the criminal justice system really functions in our country, and understand the heroism of the people who fight for real justice.

This was such a great movie but hurts to know that this takes place every single day in our judicial system. The film is based on a true story and is amazing when you see what miracles they did with such a limited budget. Glad to know amazon gave this story a chance and look forward to great movies like this in the future. Well done