Category Archives: Trial Scenes

2019, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Amazon Prime, Binge worthy, British Mystery Series, Cold Cases, Courtroom scenes, DO NOT MISS, Forensics, Murder Trial, Police Culture, Police Politics, Prostitutes, Serial Killer, Trial Scenes, True Story, Unhappy Marriage

A Confession (2019)

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From IMDB:

Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher intends on catching a killer of a missing woman, even if that may cost him his career and reputation.

From Amazon Prime you can stream the 6 episodes of this true  one season British TV crime story. Each episode lasts about 45 minutes.

Using carefully researched material, this series documents a true, riveting, and frustratingly sad case in which DS Steve Fulcher of the Wiltshire police district successfully finds a serial killer only to have his career destroyed because he made a brave and clever decision that did not completely follow guidelines.

Do not be put off by the word “documentary” because this series is a very well done enactment that is anything but a presentation of dry facts.  All the characters come to life in moments of grief, anger, loneliness and love.   Wiltshire police department concern with public relations is maddening and, thanks to this series, fully exposed.

Once again there are many familiar British actors:

  • For me the biggest surprise was the appearance of the actor Joe Absolom who plays the serial killer Christopher Halliwell.  You may recognize him as the young man Al Large who was the son of the very LARGE Bert Large in Doc Martin.  He seems so much older in “Confession” and plays the part of a clever, intelligent but stricken serial killer very well.
  • Siobhan Finneran (who plays Elaine Pickford) played Clare Cartwright in the wonderfully unhappy series Happy Valley. Her acting resumé is enormous.
  • Imelda Staunton (who plays Karen Edwards) is another seasoned British actor with a huge resumé.  Her role as the abortionist Vera Drake was remarkable.

Sorry for the “Do Not Miss” inflation, but DO NOT MISS!

1999, Acceptable for teenagers, Amazon Prime, Chase film, Detective, Explicit sex, Frame someone for a crime, Intellectual property theft, Lawyers, Mediocre, Murder, Murder Trial, Must suspend disbelief, Nudity, Plagiarism, Revenge, Serial Killer, Somewhat ridiculous plot, Surprise Ending, Suspense, Trial Scenes, Unjust crime conviction, Violent

A Murder Of Crows (1999)

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From Amazon Prime:

A man plagiarizes a novel that becomes a best seller, and he becomes the FBI’s number one suspect when it is revealed that the book is a factual account of a series of murders.

From IMDB:

After a lawyer gets disbarred, he goes off to write a book about his experience. He meets a man who lets him read his manuscript. The man dies and the lawyer passes the book off as his. Just when the book becomes a big success. He gets arrested for the true life murders of the five lawyers in his book. He then finds himself, trying to prove that he is innocent of the murders.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 41 minute complete film.

Although this 21 year old film has many flaws, the story was clever enough to keep me interested. Lawyer Lawson Russel (played by Cuba Gooding Jr. ) is framed in a spectacular and cleverly calculated manner.  He will be helped by his friend Elizabeth Pope (played by Marianne Jean-Baptiste who also played Vivian Johnson in Without a Trace).  He will be pursued by Detective Clifford Dubose (played by Tom Berenger).

What are the flaws in this somewhat mediocre film?  First, the good news is that you need not let the suspense get to you because, secondly the  plot turns that help Lawson get out of jams are numerous and too good to be true.  After he is trapped in a web of impeccably constructed clues for the police, if you are streaming, just look at the remaining time in the film.  How on earth, you might ask yourself,  in just a half hour can this mess ever be resolved? Stay tuned for an unexpected ending.

Who cares?  Just enjoy the super resourceful Lawson Russel and the fun of the chase.

2018, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Accidental Death, Addiction, African American centered, Basically Sad, Bloody scenes, Could Be Hard To Watch, Cynical, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Drug Dealers, Drugs, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Forensics, Gay theme, Gritty, Mildly Violent, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Trial, Netflix Streaming, Personal Betrayal, Pessimistic, Police Corruption, Police Culture, Racism, Religious Theme, Spousal Abuse, Suspense, Trial Scenes, Upsetting ending

Seven Seconds (2018)

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From IMDB:

Tensions run high between African American citizens and Caucasian cops in Jersey City when a teenage African American boy is critically injured by a cop.

From Netflix you can stream this 10 episode series. Each episode is about an hour except the final episode is 80 minutes.

In the very beginning we see Officer Peter Jablonski accidentally run down a black boy Brenton who was riding his bicycle through the park on a snowy day. Immediately his corrupt white police buddies convince him to hide the crime as they drag the living boy to a ditch and leave him to bleed out over 12 hours. All ten very tense episodes relate the effort by a black female Assistant DA named KJ Harper and a white policeman  Joe ‘Fish’ Rinaldi to seek justice. Along the way we spend time with each member of Brenton’s family and the police families as their lives are sadly changed by the killing.  If there is a theme here, it is “Black Lives Should Matter” even if, sadly, black lives do not matter.

Acting is superb. None of the actors were familiar to me. Even the villains stand out as especially heinous, especially the unscrupulous white woman who defends the police.

For me much of the tension was getting to the end to see how the trial turns out.  Enjoy the gripping ride while you predict what a realistic ending would be.

DO NOT MISS!