Crime Film Documentaries
|| spring.2015 ||
Instructor: James R. Elkins
Supplementary Films & Material
Crime
Films, Documentaries, and Clips
[Michigan State University Libraries]
Documentary
Films About Crime
[Wikipedia]
" Mumia Abu-Jamal: A Case for Reasonable Doubt?"
(1997)
Convicted in the 1981 murder of a white Philadelphia policeman,
black inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal speaks for the first time from death
row in this fascinating documentary. Considered a political prisoner
by activists because of possible irregularities in his case, Abu-Jamal
has maintained his innocence. This film, taken from Home Box Office's
"America Undercover" series, explores both sides of the issue and
includes new footage and interviews. ~ Netflix
Wikipedia
"4 Little Girls" (1998)
"Director Spike Lee uses this feature-length
documentary to tell the story of the 1963 bombing of an Alabama
African-American church—an event that took the lives of four
young girls and became a pivotal moment in the civil rights struggle.
Lee's film examines the crime and its perpetrators as well as the
four young victims (as described by friends and families). It also
includes interviews with noted civil rights activists and journalists."
~ Netflix
Wikipedia
"The Brandon Teena Story" (1998)
"Brandon Teena—a Nebraskan woman who was born Teena
Brandon but identified and dressed as a man—is the focus of
this in-depth documentary. Brandon finds happiness with a girlfriend
and makes a number of friends, but when his secret is discovered,
he's brutally attacked and later murdered. Here, the filmmakers
use interviews, reenactments and news footage to tell Brandon's
story (which also served as the basis for the film Boys Don't Cry)."
~ Netflix
Wikipedia
"Reckless Indifference" (2000)
"Shining a light on the criminal justice system as it pertains
to the middle class, this compelling documentary traces the tragic
chain of events that led to the murder of a Los Angeles teenager,
who just so happened to be the son of an LAPD officer. In the wake
of an emotional trial, four teens — only one of whom wielded
a weapon—were convicted of first-degree murder and sent to
prison for the rest of their lives." ~ Netflix
"Reckless Indifference" (2000)
"Shining a light on the criminal justice system
as it pertains to the middle class, this compelling documentary
traces the tragic chain of events that led to the murder of a Los
Angeles teenager, who just so happened to be the son of an LAPD
officer. In the wake of an emotional trial, four teens—only
one of whom wielded a weapon—were convicted of first-degree
murder and sent to prison for the rest of their lives." ~ Netflix
"The
Execution of Wanda Jean" (2002)
"Filmmaker Liz Garbus's in-depth documentary examines the
controversy surrounding the 2001 execution of black inmate Wanda
Jean Allen, a convicted murderer whose low IQ bordered retardation,
yet an Oklahoma court sentenced her to death by lethal injection.
The film chronicles her final days and the state's execution process
as Wanda's family, joined by legal and medical professionals, fights
tirelessly for commutation of her sentence." ~ Netflix
Wikipedia
"Murder
at Harvard: American Experience" (2003)
"PBS's 'American Experience' series turns its probing eyes
back on one of America's most shocking murder trials. On November
23, 1849, former Harvard professor Dr. George Parkman disappeared.
In time, a Harvard janitor discovered his remains. When word got
out that Dr. Parkman was brutally murdered, the entire city of Boston
became obsessed with the subsequent trial, in which the main suspect
turned out to be a well-liked doctor." ~ Netflix
Wikipedia
"The
Larry Davis Story: A Routine Typical Hit" (2003)
"At age 19, Larry Davis was the subject of one of the largest
manhunts in the history of the New York City Police Department.
After eluding the law for 17 days, Davis turned himself in to the
FBI in exchange for their vow to investigate the NYPD's involvement
in drug deals he says he was forced to participate in. Now, for
the first time, Davis talks about that fateful night in 1986 when
30 cops arrived to kill him for backing out of a drug deal."
~ Netflix
Wikipedia
"Farmingville"
(2004)
"In the late 1990s, the hate-based attempted murders of two
Mexican workers catapulted a Long Island town into national headlines,
unmasking a new front line in the border wars: suburbia. For nearly
a year, filmmakers Carlos Sandoval and Catherine Tambini lived and
worked in Farmingville, N.Y., documenting the stories of residents,
day laborers and activists battling one another over the American
Dream. Won a Sundance Special Jury Prize in 2004." ~ Netflix
Internet
Movie Database
"The
Trials of Darryl Hunt" (2005)
"This poignant documentary details the story of Darryl Hunt,
a black North Carolina man who spent 20 years in prison for a crime
he didn't commit. After the rape and murder of a young white journalist
in 1984, public outcry and intense media scrutiny—along with
simmering racial tensions—pressured officials to close the
case. Hunt was quickly convicted. In 1994, DNA evidence proved his
innocence, but Hunt wasn't exonerated for 10 more years." ~
Netflix Wikipedia
"King
of Kings" (2005)
"Before their high-profile capture in 1995, brothers Anthony
'Pretty Tony,' Lance and Todd Feurtado—known collectively
as the King of Kings—sat at the head of a lucrative drug trafficking
empire that pulled in $15 million a week. This fascinating documentary
tells the unbelievable story behind their considerable legend on
the streets, with commentary from A-list celebrities including Russell
Simmons, Jay-Z, Irv Gotti and Fat Joe." ~ Netflix
"The
Life of Rayful Edmond: The Rise & Fall 1" (2005)
"Notorious drug dealer Rayful Edmond's life of crime didn't
end after he was sent to prison to serve two life sentences; the
Washington, D.C., man began using the phone in the federal prison
to set up a drug trafficking operation with Colombian drug lords.
Although he later cooperated with federal agents to trap four other
inmates doing the same thing, 30 years were added to his sentence.
This documentary chronicles Edmond's rise and fall."~ Netflix
Wikipedia
"Ray: The Rayful Edmond Story: Part 2" (2008)
"In 1989, 24-year-old Rayful Edmond was sentenced to 25 years
in prison for drug trafficking and homicide, but as director Troy
Reed's documentary shows, Edmond didn't let incarceration stop his
criminal activities. Coincidence put him in a cell with one of Colombia's
biggest cocaine distributors, allowing Edmond to expand his Washington,
D.C. based empire from behind bars. The irony of the ensuing events
is as riveting as any Hollywood film." ~ Netflix
Wikipedia
"Soldiers
in the Army of God" (2005)
"Connected by the Internet and an unshakable belief in their
cause, a tight-knit group of extreme pro-life activists who—all
members of the Army of God—have turned to violence to abolish
abortion. This fascinating documentary examines several of the soldiers
involved in the ongoing 'battle,' including Paul Hill, the man who
committed the infamous 1993 murders of two abortion clinic workers
in Pensacola, Fla." ~ Netflix
Internet Movie Database
"The
Poet and the Con" (2006)
"Poet Eric Trules uses home movies, original footage and clips
from "America's Most Wanted" to tell the story of how
his uncle became the prime suspect in a 1982 murder. The focus of
the film, however, is as much on Trules's relationship with his
uncle—a lifelong criminal and underworld boss—as on
the crime itself, providing a commentary on morality, creativity
and criminality within families and sociocultural institutions."
~ Netflix
"The
Real Rick Ross Story" (2006)
"Witness the larger-than-life true story of Ricky Donnell
Ross—also known by his street moniker 'Freeway Rick'—who
made history in the 1980s and '90s as one of the most notorious
drug dealers in the business, pulling in daily profits ranging from
$300,000 to $1 million. Rising from poverty and illiteracy, he climbed
to a level that no one expected, spreading his empire from the streets
of New York and Los Angeles to everywhere in between." ~ Netflix
Wikipedia
"Shooting Henry Hill" (2006)
"Filmmaker Luke Heppner tracks down and interviews
Henry Hill, the infamous Mafioso turned informant whose story was
dramatized in the feature film Goodfellas. Ousted from the witness
protection program for ongoing criminal activity, Hill reveals his
still-troubled life as he makes a living by cooking in an Italian
restaurant, battles alcoholism, and continues to be embroiled in
controversy over his involvement with the mob." ~ Netflix
Wikipedia
"NBC
News Presents: Inside Evil: Jeffrey Dahmer and Son of Sam" (2006)
"This feature-length documentary that originally aired as
a pair of NBC news reports chronicles the crimes of two of the world's
most notorious serial killers: Jeffrey Dahmer and David Berkowitz
(aka 'the Son of Sam'). Bonus material includes never-before-seen
footage from Stone Phillips's exclusive interviews with Dahmer and
his father, Lionel, which offer startling new insights into the
mind of a cold-blooded murderer." ~ Netflix
Wikipedia
"Mario’s
Story" (2007)
"Shot over the course of seven years, this documentary from
filmmakers Susan Koch and Jeff Werner relates the inspiring true
story of Mario Rocha, an East L.A. teen who unlocked his talent
for writing while serving out a murder sentence behind bars. As
his family and a team of pro bono attorneys labor on the outside
to clear his name for a crime he didn't commit, Mario keeps himself
grounded on the inside by writing poems, short stories and plays."
~ Netflix
"Crazy
Love" (2007)
"This documentary from director Dan Klores chronicles the
disturbing true story of an obsessive relationship gone awry in
1950s New York between Burt Pugach, a married lawyer, and his twentysomething
mistress, Linda Riss. In a shocking reversal of the traditional
'woman scorned' formula, it was Pugach who came unglued when Riss
broke up with him—and the subsequent fallout made
headlines across the country." ~ Netflix
Wikipedia
"Albert
Fish" (2007)
"One of the most notorious deviants in the history of crime
is profiled in H.H. Holmes director John Borowski's docudrama-style
account of the reprehensible transgressions of cannibalistic child
murderer and molester Albert Fish. His dark rampage fueled by distorted
interpretations of Biblical tales, Fish ritualistically tortured
and murdered scores of children in Depression-era New York before
being arrested by authorities and executed for his crimes in 1936."
~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Wikipedia
"Cocaine
Cowboys" (2007)
"In the early '80s, a new business emerged in Miami, FL, that
changed the face of the city forever. That business was cocaine
smuggling; as America developed a growing appetite for the drug,
Colombian suppliers found that Miami was a good place to bring it
into the United States, and a new breed of outlaws were more than
happy to face the risks of importing cocaine in exchange for the
massive profits to be made. At one time, cocaine runners were making
so much money that the city's banks were running out of room to
store the cash, and smugglers were developing new ways to move the
product, from floating tanks with radio tracking devices dropped
into the ocean to cars stashed with drugs so well-connected drivers
with tow trucks could haul them away and abandon them if necessary.
The profits from Miami's cocaine explosion helped to transform the
city into a major American playground, but it also brought a criminal
element interested in more than just dealing drugs, as bloody reprisals
between competing gangs of smugglers became commonplace, and hitmen
began working overtime to keep up with the demand for revenge. Billy
Corben and Alfred Spellman are a pair of Miami-based filmmakers
who were able persuade a number of key figures from Miami's '80s
cocaine trade to speak on-camera about their exploits, as well as
law enforcement officials who struggled to keep up with them. The
result was Cocaine Cowboys, a true-life thriller about the underworld
culture that helped spawn the film Scarface and the television series
Miami Vice. Jan Hammer, who composed the Miami Vice theme song,
created a like-minded score for the documentary." ~ Mark Deming,
All Movie Guide
"Cocaine Cowboys 2: Hustlin' with the Godmother"
(2008)
"Set in 1991 on the inner-city streets of Oakland, California,
cocaine dealer Charles Cosby's life is changed forever when he writes
a fan letter to the 'Cocaine Godmother' Griselda Blanco, who is
serving time at a nearby federal prison. Six months later, Cosby
is a multi-millionaire, Blanco's lover, and the head of her $40
million a year cocaine business. Also known as "The Black Widow"
for her propensity to permanently dispose of her men when she's
done with them, Blanco will stop at nothing to ensure that Charles
is by soon learns that he's in way over his head." ~ Netflix
"Conviction: The True Story of Clarence
Elkins" (2009)
|
|
[55 mins.] [film by
Mike West & Bill Ward]
"When a man is wrongly convicted of murder and rape,
his wife devotes her life to proving his innocence. Conviction
is not only a gripping story of justice gone wrong, it's
also a meditation on the role of luck in the criminal justice
system. In order for Clarence Elkins to prove his innocence,
all of the stars had to align. It's a story that would be
unbelievable if it weren't true." ~ Michael West
Big Sky
Documentary Film Festival
Resources for
Film Discussion
|
"One summer night, Melinda Elkins' mother was
raped and murdered, and her husband, Clarence, was convicted of
the murder and sent to prison for life. Melinda knew her husband
was a victim of mistaken identification. Proving it would take years.
A do-it-yourself detective, Melinda discovered a person she believed
killed her mother – a convicted sex offender overlooked by police.
In a twist of fate, the suspect was incarcerated in the same prison
as Clarence. In prison, Clarence picked up a cigarette discarded
by the suspect. DNA testing showed that the man was, in fact, the
real killer. Because of his wife's tenacity and conviction, Clarence
walked out of prison a free man." ~ Durango
Independent Film Festival
Popular
Films: Real Stories
"Reversal of Fortune" (1990)
Adapted From: Alan Dershowitz, Reversal
of Fortune: Inside the von Bülow Case (1985)
"In this tauntingly ambiguous courtroom drama,
the enigmatic Claus von Bülow (Jeremy Irons) stands accused
of putting his wife, Sunny (Glenn Close), into a perpetual coma
with an insulin overdose. Claus hires hard-charging attorney Alan
Dershowitz (Ron Silver), who scrambles to defend his client—with
help from some impassioned Harvard law students—while Sunny
narrates flashbacks that shed light on the events that lead to her
condition." ~ Netflix
Wikipedia
Internet
Movie Database
Movie
Trailer
The von Bülows: Claus
von Bülow
Sunny von Bülow
Alan
Dershowitz on the Claus von Bulow case (1986)
An
Interview with Alan Dershowitz
Conversation
with Alan M. Dershowitz & Kenneth Star at Pepperdine University
School of Law
TV Films: American Justice Crime Series,
"Von Bülow: A Wealth of Evidence" (narrated by Bill
Kurtis); Biography, "Claus von Bülow: A Reasonable Doubt"
(with interviews Claus von Bülow and Alan Dershowitz)
TruTV
Crime Library
Oscar
Award, Best Actor, Jeremy Irons for his performance in "Reversal of
Fortune, 63rd Annual Academy Awards, 1991
Bibliography: Susan J. Drucker &
Janice Platt Hunold, "The Claus von Bulow Retrial: Lights, Camera,
Genre?" in Robert Hariman (ed.), Popular Trials: Rhetoric,
Mass Media, and the Law 133-147 (Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama
Press, 1990)
"Fatal Vision" (1984) [The Jeffrey MacDonald Case]
Adapted from: Joseph McGinnis, Fatal Vision (New
York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1983)
Wikipedia
TV Films: "American Justice: The Green Beret Murder
Mystery" (A&E Television Networks, 1998)(DVD)(approx. 50
minutes)
The
Jeffrey MacDonald Case [Professor James R.
Elkins]
Bibliography: Jerry Allen Potter &
Fred Bost, Fatal Vision: Reinvestigating the MacDonald Murders
(W.W. Norton & Company, 1995); James Blackburn, Flame-out:
From Prosecuting Jeffrey MacDonald to Serving Time to Serving Tables
(Leslie Books, 2000); Janet Malcolm, The Journalist and the Murderer
(New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1999)
Misc.
"Charlie
Manson Superstar" (1989)
"Get an inside look at the mysterious and dangerous
Charles Manson, who, in 1969, became one of history's infamous villains,
presented by the media as "evil incarnate"; this documentary sets
the record straight after years of media disinformation. It features
an exclusive interview with Manson, which allows him to speak for
the first time without being censored or sanitized, as well as rare
archival footage, police documents and photos." ~ Netflix
Wikipedia
Leslie
Van Houten 1999 Parole Hearing
Leslie
Van Houten 2007 Parole Hearing
Van
Houten Denied Parole, August 30, 2007
Leslie
Van Houton: 1975 Interview [pt.2]
Excerpt
from Leslie Van Houten Documentary, 1991
Manson
Murders: 35 Years Later
[Dianne Sawyer]
Linda
Kasabian Interview 1988 [pt.2]
Susan
Atkins 1985 Interview [pt.2]
Susan
Atkins 2002 Interview with Dianne Sawyer
Susan
Atkins 2008 Parole Hearing
Manson
2007 Parole Hearing Prelude [pt.2]
[May
23, 2007 Parole Hearing Decision]
Manson
Interview with Charlie Rose
pt.2
pt.3
pt.4
pt.5
pt.6
pt.7
The
Manson-Tom Snyder Interview
pt.2
pt.3
pt.4
pt.5
pt.6
Court Rulings & Briefs
Appeal:
Supreme Court of Florida (1982)
Chi
Omego Appeal (1982)
Supreme
Court of Florida (1984)
Supreme
Court of Forida (1985)
Bundy v.
Florida, 479 U.S. 894 (1986) [denial of certorari]
Brief
on Appeal and for Stay of Execution (1989)
JonBenét Ramsey Case
Crime and Punishment: The JonBenét Ramsey Case: pt1
pt2
pt3
pt4
pt5
pt6
pt7
Ramseys
on Larry King
JonBenét
Ramsey DNA Test
'Touch DNA' Clears Ramseys
Ramsey
Family Cleared [CBS News, July 10, 2008]
Wikipedia:
JonBenét Ramsey
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