The initial case through incarceration is screened early on and moved aside quickly as we start to get into the aftershocks of what just happened. West of Memphis focuses on Terry Hobbs, stepfather of Stevie Branch, one of the victims of the 1993 crime, as a potential suspect due to physical evidence linking him to the crime, a history of violent behavior and his lack of an alibi for the time the murders were committed, as well as damaging statements made by his ex-wife, former neighbors, and most recently his own nephew, who claims Hobbs confessed to him. It still puzzles me how the jury got such an assured verdict based on what seemingly little they had to go on at trial. Eye-opening. The album will be released on January 15th, 2013, with a portion of the proceeds going to directly benefit the West Memphis Three. Graphic. West Memphis is the largest city in Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. 2012 Fearless Films, LLC. West of Memphis Jason Baldwin (Actor), Lorris Davis (Actor), Amy Berg (Director, Producer, Writer) Starting with a searing examination of the police investigation into the 1993 murders of three, eight year old boys Christopher Byers, Steven Branch and Michael Moore in the small town of West Memphis, Arkansas, the film reveals the story from the inside. An examination of a failure of justice in the case against the West Memphis Three, who were conviced of the murder of three 8-year-olds boys in West Memphis, Arkansas in 1993. West Memphis Three, three American men who in 1994, while teenagers, were found guilty of murdering three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, allegedly as part of devil worship. If you only see one of them, this is the one to choose, because it has the benefit of hindsight. West Memphis police believe the killers to be three teenagers in a satanic cult: Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley. It provides an enormous amount of detail and incredibly compelling new evidence that was uncovered by the newest defense team (and the many supporters) of the WM3, that ultimately led to their release (in a truly bizarre manner). Moving. Jaw dropping prejudice and ignorance brought about one of the biggest judicial conpiracys in history. [9], Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film an "A-" and wrote that it "casts a hypnotic spell all its own. This movie brought it all together..really well done. Directed by: Amy J. Berg. A true story centering on the new investigation surrounding the 1993 murders of three 8-year-old boys in the town of West Memphis, Ark. "[10], Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a perfect four star rating, writing: "Do we need a fourth film? The film, directed by Amy Berg and produced by … Starring: Damien Echols. So, I haven’t seen everything or looked at everything but I do have to admit that I would not have been able to find any three of these men guilty under reasonable jury instructions. It received a nomination for Best Documentary Screenplay from the Writers Guild of America. While it doesn’t bring a whole lot new to the table on who may have done these murders and mostly only uses the “wrongful” accusations based on appearance/entertainment interests of the convicted three --- I think that West of Memphis is one of the best documentaries about this specific case. But it’s probably the best of all the WM3 documentaries. The West Memphis Three are three men convicted as teenagers in 1994 of the 1993 murders of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, United States. During the trial, the prosecution asserted that the juveniles killed the children as part of a Satanic ritual. Evidence surrounding the murders exposed the wrongful conviction of three teenagers who lost 18 years of their lives imprisoned for crimes they did not commit. Video availability outside of United States varies. Founded 1912 and has an enrollment of more than 21,000 students. West of Memphis. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 10, 2018. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 25, 2014. The University of Memphis, also U of M, a public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. With the January 2012 HBO premiere of the third Paradise Lost film, Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory,[6] there were two documentary films on the subject within a year. It received a nomination for Best Documentary Screenplay from the Writers Guild of America. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. An examination of a failure of justice in the case against the West Memphis Three. Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2015. It’s refreshing to look at the case with the benefit of time passing so that you can get all the information in one spot. Yes, I think we do. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Rentals include 30 days to start watching this video and 48 hours to finish once started. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Also, the Paradise Lost films were pretty sensationalistic, especially the 2nd one in regards to the Byers step-father and portraying him as the murderer. It’s also a positive look on how to take a grim situation and meld it into something more meaningful. I’ve seen four documentaries and listened to the confessions by Jessie Miskelley Jr. and read transcripts from the trial. Horrifying. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 31, 2014. "[3], Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, "2013 WGA Awards: The Complete List Of Winners", "Film review: West of Memphis - Amy Berg's documentary about Arkansas child murders (15)", The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three, Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_of_Memphis&oldid=1001821299, Documentary films about miscarriage of justice in the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 21 January 2021, at 14:35. West of Memphis is a 2012 documentary with a runtime of 2 hours and 27 minutes. [2], As with the Paradise Lost film and its two sequels, West of Memphis follows the events of the West Memphis Three, a case in which three teenagers (Jessie Misskelley, Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin) were arrested for the murders of three 8-year-old children. Select the department you want to search in. Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2019. Crime and poverty rates are significantly higher than the national average and the Bible Belt city ranked as the most the most dangerous in the state in 2018, reported USA Today. If you've watched all three of the HBO "Paradise Lost" documentaries concerning the "West Memphis 3, Robin Hood Hills child murders" this documentary will serve as both a summary and add-on. Located across from Memphis, on the west bank of the Mississippi River, West Memphis shares many problems with its more famous neighbor. [3], The West Memphis Three were subsequently convicted of murder and remained in prison for more than 18 years. They spent nearly two decades in prison, finally only being released by being forced to say they did it in the little used 'Alford Plea'. [7], Writing in The Wall Street Journal, film critic Joe Morgenstern described West of Memphis as "a devastating account of police incompetence, civic hysteria and prosecutorial behavior that was totally at odds with a vastly persuasive body of evidence uncovered in a privately funded investigation". From Academy Award® nominated filmmaker Amy Berg (Deliver Us From Evil) in collaboration with the multiple Academy Award® winning team of Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, West Of Memphis tells the untold story behind an extraordinary and desperate fight … The population was 27,666 at the 2000 census, with an estimated population of 28,181 in 2005, and 31,329 in 2011 ranking it as the state's 11th largest city, behind Hot Springs. Since the 1996 release of the HBO Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky documentary, Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, supporters protested the innocence of the West Memphis Three. Yes, I think we do. The documentary "West of Memphis" is the fourth film about one of the most heinous cases of wrongful conviction in American judicial history. Which they only did in order to save the life of the one on death row. West of Memphis is an examination of a failure of justice in Arkansas. Do we need a fourth film? The best documentary about the "controversy" issues of this specific case. True story centering on the new investigation surrounding the the 1993 murders of three 8-year-old boys in the town of West Memphis, Ark., that ultimately broke the case open and led to the release of the so-called West Memphis Three. It definitely held. For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19, click here. The State of Arkansas is proactively responding to the outbreak of COVID-19. A true story centering on the new investigation surrounding the 1993 murders of three 8-year-old boys in the town of West Memphis, Ark. West of Memphis is an examination of a failure of justice in Arkansas. Three young American teenagers who were made scapegoats and wrongly imprisoned for the horrific murder of three young children. Director Amy Berg, wrote Morgenstern, "has a dramatist's eye for what was irretrievably lost — the innocent lives of the children, plus 18 years of three other innocent lives. The documentary tells the hitherto unknown story behind an extraordinary and desperate fight to bring the truth to light. Get the forecast for today, tonight & tomorrow's weather for West Memphis, AR. ... West of Memphis goes after another possible suspect, Terry Hobbs, who was stepfather to one of the victims and who has denied any involvement. Misskelley … A whole community simply fell into line behind the police and the prosecutors. West of Memphis is a 2012 New Zealand-American documentary film directed and co-written by Amy J. Berg, produced by Peter Jackson and Damien Echols, and released in the US by Sony Pictures Classics to critical acclaim. After the 1994 conviction of three troubled teens for the murders of three younger boys, questions began to arise about the prosecution of the case. First of all, this is a pro-WM3 documentary and most people would agree that it’s a biased angle. Genres: Crime Documentary. "[8], Film critic Philip French of The Observer called West of Memphis "riveting", and a "shocking indictment of the American criminal justice system and a tribute to the dedication of selfless civil rights lawyers and their supporters from all over the world". A new documentary written and directed by Academy Award nominated filmmaker, Amy Berg (DELIVER US FROM EVIL) and produced by first time filmmakers Damien Echols and Lorri Davis, in collaboration with the multiple Academy Award winning team of Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, WEST OF MEMPHIS tells the untold story behind an extraordinary and desperate fight to bring the truth to light; a fight to … [5] Much like the Paradise Lost films, West of Memphis chronicles the history of the imprisoned men all the way up to the eventual release through interviews conducted with lawyers, judges, journalists, family members, witnesses, and the West Memphis Three themselves. One of the boys had learning difficulties and was bullied into incriminating himself and the other two by the police, being spoon fed the story after enduring many hours of interrogation - and even then he couldn't get it right. Harrowing. 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