Review of Devil's Knot (2013) by Alisha T — 03 Jan 2015

I have seen all but one movie/documentary regarding this subject, including the three excellent HBO documentaries. I also read the book "Devil's Knot" that the movie is based on and also Damian Echols' excellent book, "Life After Death.".

The film "Devil's Knot" did a nice job of summarizing the essence of the horrific abuse of the justice system; however, it should have been made longer to give more personality to the three wrongly convicted then-teenagers and the families of the victims. In that regard, this film failed miserably. And yes, I realize the movies based on true stories are simply a dramatization and can't include everything from, but this movie could have done better.

I was tempted to give it only three stars, but the acting was good and the screenplay was okay. I realize how tough it is to take such a thorough 2002 book as "Devil's Knot" (by Mara Leveritt) and tell that story on the "big screen," but I was a little disappointed. This film had a hard act to follow as the three HBO documentaries on the same subject were exceptional!

Those wanting to know the ENTIRE story of what happened would be advised to take the time to watch all three HBO "Paradise Lost" documentaries, all of which are excellent, but be warned, they include very graphic footage of the crimes!