My thoughts on the new West Memphis 3 dramatization film, "Devil's Knot", adapted from Mara Leverrit's book of the same title: Though production values were certainly sub-par, as well as some of the acting, I actually thought it was valuable due to the fact that any folks who are not aware of the West Memphis 3 case can maybe become intrigued to investigate on their own and draw their own conclusions.
Some of the acting was sub-par, but there were several elements of the movie which are only vaguely alluded to in the documentary films, such as the case file being changed from ending with "555" as the case number, then being changed to end the case number with "666". Deplorable. One thing I liked about the film is that they don't squarely point the finger at anyone definitively.... To me, it simply presented all of the possible angles that the police bungled. I was pleased that Mark Byers' role as a "suspect" was only touched on briefly among many, many other possible suspects that could ACTUALLY be guilty, not just conjecture against Damien, Jason and Jessie, but to Byers as well.
I was frustrated that the WM3 support group on wm3.org were not mentioned, nor was Damien's wife, and almost all credit for the doubt in the case is presented as Ron Lax and Ron Lax almost exclusively.
I like that the central theme of the movie is that we can never convict anyone for these murders justly, due to the police and the courts bungling the case in every way possible. The film centrally blames the inept police investigation, which I find unforgivable when it comes to this horrendous crime. It seemed to me that the film wasn't REALLY pointing the finger directly at anyone, but rather presented the police investigation as a recipe for disaster and injustice due to incompetence and corruption.
In my opinion, any extra exposure this case can get is nothing but positive, as the fight is no more than 50% concluded, with justice being served to no one. I've read "Devil's Knot", and I of course was simply looking for answers to questions that no one was asking. When I read the book initially, many years ago, it seemed to really focus on John Mark Byers, as a "primary suspect". Frankly, I didn't believe it for very long, and I'm sorry that I ever did.
The more publicity the case gets, the higher the chances of exoneration for the WM3, and thus, a higher chance that the real killer can be brought to justice. The film could've been better, but it could have been worse, and the film points out lots of key aspects that have only been glossed over by the documentary viewers who haven't done any private studies on their own. The big lesson? You shouldn't point your finger at someone unless you are damn sure, and I thing "Devil's Knot" raises more questions that it answers, but they are questions that NEED to be asked, and hopefully answered in our lifetimes.
One part of the film that I thought was hardly mentioned at all in the documentaries (other than the bonus features) was the kid Aaron Hutchenson's "confession" or "statement" basically being the totally weak link that caused the police to push towards tunnel vision regarding the beginning of the investigation into the WM3. His statements are so painfully inaccurate, yet the police used those statements almost like a fire was lit under their asses. How desperate and incompetent can a police force be, relying on the erroneous statements of a little kid who's obviously been coached and still doesn't make any sense when giving his "statement" to the cops. They took that as the first brick in the wall, and kept building and bending the work they should've been doing....for example, canvassing the Hobbs' neighborhood the way they did to Byers. MAJOR BLUNDER.
I do think the film could have a bit better AS A MOTION PICTURE, but I am glad that attention has not been focused off of the case just because Damien, Jason and Jessie are out of jail now. Maybe, not likely, but maybe, enough of this type of continued exposure to the public may lead to actual justice for the victims.. in a perfect world. What can I say? I'm not naive, but I am a dreamer. But I'm not the only one.
Some of the acting was sub-par, but there were several elements of the movie which are only vaguely alluded to in the documentary films, such as the case file being changed from ending with "555" as the case number, then being changed to end the case number with "666". Deplorable. One thing I liked about the film is that they don't squarely point the finger at anyone definitively.... To me, it simply presented all of the possible angles that the police bungled. I was pleased that Mark Byers' role as a "suspect" was only touched on briefly among many, many other possible suspects that could ACTUALLY be guilty, not just conjecture against Damien, Jason and Jessie, but to Byers as well.
I was frustrated that the WM3 support group on wm3.org were not mentioned, nor was Damien's wife, and almost all credit for the doubt in the case is presented as Ron Lax and Ron Lax almost exclusively.
I like that the central theme of the movie is that we can never convict anyone for these murders justly, due to the police and the courts bungling the case in every way possible. The film centrally blames the inept police investigation, which I find unforgivable when it comes to this horrendous crime. It seemed to me that the film wasn't REALLY pointing the finger directly at anyone, but rather presented the police investigation as a recipe for disaster and injustice due to incompetence and corruption.
In my opinion, any extra exposure this case can get is nothing but positive, as the fight is no more than 50% concluded, with justice being served to no one. I've read "Devil's Knot", and I of course was simply looking for answers to questions that no one was asking. When I read the book initially, many years ago, it seemed to really focus on John Mark Byers, as a "primary suspect". Frankly, I didn't believe it for very long, and I'm sorry that I ever did.
The more publicity the case gets, the higher the chances of exoneration for the WM3, and thus, a higher chance that the real killer can be brought to justice. The film could've been better, but it could have been worse, and the film points out lots of key aspects that have only been glossed over by the documentary viewers who haven't done any private studies on their own. The big lesson? You shouldn't point your finger at someone unless you are damn sure, and I thing "Devil's Knot" raises more questions that it answers, but they are questions that NEED to be asked, and hopefully answered in our lifetimes.
One part of the film that I thought was hardly mentioned at all in the documentaries (other than the bonus features) was the kid Aaron Hutchenson's "confession" or "statement" basically being the totally weak link that caused the police to push towards tunnel vision regarding the beginning of the investigation into the WM3. His statements are so painfully inaccurate, yet the police used those statements almost like a fire was lit under their asses. How desperate and incompetent can a police force be, relying on the erroneous statements of a little kid who's obviously been coached and still doesn't make any sense when giving his "statement" to the cops. They took that as the first brick in the wall, and kept building and bending the work they should've been doing....for example, canvassing the Hobbs' neighborhood the way they did to Byers. MAJOR BLUNDER.
I do think the film could have a bit better AS A MOTION PICTURE, but I am glad that attention has not been focused off of the case just because Damien, Jason and Jessie are out of jail now. Maybe, not likely, but maybe, enough of this type of continued exposure to the public may lead to actual justice for the victims.. in a perfect world. What can I say? I'm not naive, but I am a dreamer. But I'm not the only one.