DVD Review: Devil's Knot

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Hope you're not looking for any new insight.

Because you certainly won't get it here. I had prepared myself for that. The West Memphis 3 case has been one I've followed for a long time. I've seen all three Paradise Lost films and West of Memphis. I've read nearly everything on the Callahan website. I've read Damien Echol's book, and will read Jason Baldwin's as soon as I get my hands on it. So when I heard they were dramatizing the case, I didn't expect much.

Reese Witherspoon takes on the role of Pam Hobbs, mother to Stevie Hobbs, one of the deceased boys. Colin Firth is Ron Lax, the PI that assists the defense. Plenty of other actors turn up in bit parts as well. Bruce Greenwood, Stephen Moyer, Amy Ryan, Dane DeHaan. 

Jason Baldwin actually executive produced this, so I wanted to give it a chance, despite the bad reviews. I don't think this is a bad movie at all. The performances were good, they did a good job of showing just how ridiculous the case against the WM3 really was. My biggest problem was that I felt uncomfortable when they were showing the bodies of the boys. Devil's Knot unfortunately just feels unnecessary compared to all the other info that's out there on the WM3 case. The only thing that could truly be different at this point is if someone made a documentary that wasn't a WM3 supporter. 

Recommended: No

Grade: C

Memorable Quote: "I was wondering if you could grade this?" - Pam (Reese Witherspoon)

Comments

  1. DellJuly 2, 2014 at 7:05 AM

    I'm curious would it play differently for someone not as familiar with the case as you. I'm not so I may have to check it out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJuly 2, 2014 at 10:18 AM

      It might. It could be a good courtroom drama for someone that hasn't seen all the docs. If you see it, I hope you review it so I can get that POV.

      Delete
  2. thevoid99July 2, 2014 at 8:30 PM

    I have no interest in seeing this since I already saw the Paradise Lost trilogy and West of Memphis. Plus, Atom Egoyan has been in a slump as I heard his most recent film with Ryan Reynolds is so far his worst.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJuly 3, 2014 at 8:07 AM

      Yeah, if you've already seen those, you won't see anything new here. That's kind of a shame, because it wouldn't be a boring movie otherwise.

      Delete
  3. Alex WithrowJuly 3, 2014 at 12:14 PM

    I was wondering if this film would add to the overall story. Seems no. I agree with thevoid, Egoyan is such a talented filmmaker, but many of his recent films have felt phoned in to me.

    ReplyDelete
  4. JoshJuly 7, 2014 at 5:15 PM

    I was mildy interested in this for the cast, but I might just skip it. Besides, I still need to watch West of Memphis and the Paradise Lost trilogy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJuly 8, 2014 at 6:45 AM

      Hmm, if you're mildly interested, you should watch this film first. It might not be as bad if you don't know the case, because the cast is pretty good.

      Delete

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