Crown Heights (2017) Reviews

• Quiet Yet Powerful Presentation

  larrys32017-11-22

  Initially set in the early 1980's, in Brooklyn, N.Y., this is a very deliberately paced yet powerful dramatic portrayal of the wrongful conviction of 18-year-old Colin Warner (Lakeith Stanfield). At that time crime was soaring throughout the nation, and police, prosecutors, and politicians were looking for convictions, not caring much how they got them. In this true story case, Warner was convicted when the police pressured witnesses enough to give false testimony and seal his fate. Languishing in a maximum security prison, Warner received tireless aid from his close friend KC (Nnamdi Asomugha) and later from his wife-to-be (Natalie Paul) and a dedicated attorney (Bill Camp) These type of movies always make me angry because I don't understand how people in powerful positions can allow others to rot in jail for long periods of time while knowing that they're innocent. How do these folks live with themselves? All in all, this film, written and directed by Matt Ruskin, is not for those looking for an action flick, but if you like quiet yet powerful movies then you might very well like this one.

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• Necessary and Powerful

  nikisaintclair2018-01-14

  This is a deeply important movie, honestly and beautifully, told. The acting was impeccable and the score was beautiful. The story is truly powerful. Every American should see this movie. We need to understand the ugly truth of how the criminal justice system really functions in our country, and understand the heroism of the people who fight for real justice.

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• A Seemingly Endless Sentence Is Offered as a Seemingly Endless Movie

  boblipton2017-08-27

  Movies have many techniques for keeping you interested and making the time go fast. A moving camera, attractive sets and actors speaking witty lines, and a pleasing score will make the 90 minutes or so of a movie fly. Contrariwise, when a moviemaker wishes to instill a sense of oppression, any of these elements can be left out. This is a movie based on a real event. In 1980, a black man in that troubled Brooklyn neighborhood was found guilty of second degree murder and sentenced to 15-to-life as the driver in a drive-by shooting. The trouble is, he didn't do it; he was busy stealing and running over someone else at the time. This movie recounts the twenty-one-year struggle by him and his brother to get him freed. And during the period of his incarceration, the deadening effect of that imprisonment is made apparent by leaving out all those techniques that would serve to make the lives of the people in this movie more interesting. The trouble is that the audience is also subject to this oppressive and boring tedium. As a result, this 94-minute feature, which might have made an excellent documentary, fails in the first duty of any piece of art: to engage and, yes, entertain its audience. All we learn is that people make mistakes and take a long time to figure things out.

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• Crown Heights is amazing

  hollywoodhernandez-708682017-09-01

  In 1980 Colin Warner (played by Lakeith Stanfield) was charged with a crime he did not commit. He was convicted and spent 21 years in prison, including four years in solitary confinement. All the while he was in prison his friend Carl King (Nnamdi Asomugha) never gave up on correcting this injustice. This is the true story of the movie Crown Heights. Crooked cops, an injustice justice system and the politics of the day (Ronald Reagan's "Get Touch on Crime Policies") all steam rolled Warner's efforts to prove his innocence. His friend, Carl King, soon discovered that without money for adequate legal counsel a poor man had no access to the justice system. But he never gave up. While the movie portrays a jaw dropping look at our judicial system for poor people and minorities it is also a hopeful movie about faith, hope and friendship. Carl King almost lost his family to his commitment to prove his friend innocent, but still he never quits trying. He's convinced that the injustice of his friend could easily be him. He never stops trying to right the wrong. Marsha Stephanie Blake plays Briana his childhood sweetheart who is also convinced of his innocence and she makes him a promise that one day she will be there to drive him home from prison. They develop a romantic relationship while he's in prison and she waits for him during his entire 21 years of incarceration.  Crown Heights won the Audience Award at this year's Sundance Film Festival with good reason. Lakeith Stanfield as Collin is amazing in his portrayal of a man wrongly imprisoned. The actor has to cover a full range of emotions of a man who loses hope, finds love, and discovers the true meaning of friendship. Stanfield does a masterful job.  The movie is rated "R" for violence and sexual situations and it has a run time of 94 minutes. While gut wrenching to watch, I enjoyed Crown Heights very much. At the very end of the movie it's closing credits make the point that there are about 2.4 million people currently in prison in the United States. It's estimated that over 120,000 are innocent. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" this movie gets my highest rating, A JUMB0 (with extra butter). Hollywood Hernandez 

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• OK, better served as doc

  ferguson-62017-08-24

  Greetings again from the darkness. Being wrongly accused of a horrible crime would be a nightmare. Being wrongly convicted would be the worst possible nightmare. Prison life must be a daily nightmare. What could make such nightmares even worse? How about serving 21 years for a crime you didn't commit, with about 4 years of that in solitary confinement. Numerous recent projects have focused on a legal and justice system that sometimes seems broken. Some of the best include: HBO's "The Night Of", Ana DuVernay's documentary 13TH, and Jamie Meltzer's documentary TRUE CONVICTION. Writer/Director Matt Ruskin has adapted this most recent based-on-a-true-story docudrama from a podcast episode of "This American Life". While the general topic of "justice" is interesting enough, it's the individual personal stories of justice denied that add such power, immediacy and emotion. In April 1980, in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, a young man is arrested on suspicion of murder. Lakeith Stanfeld (SHORT TERM 12) plays Colin Warner, a local petty thief whose family is from Trinidad. The "suspicion of murder" is really not accurate, since the arresting cops knew Colin wasn't the guy, but were more interested in clearing the case than actually solving it. What follows is a commentary on crooked cops, a flawed judicial system, and the willingness by the guilty party to let another go to jail if it means they remain free. However, more than any of that, this is a wonderful story of one man's unrelenting pursuit of justice for his friend. Former NFL star Nnambi Asomugha (married to Kerry Washington) plays Carl "KC" King – Colin's friend who refuses to give up on him and constantly hunts for someone to ensure justice is served … no matter how much time has passed. KC never stops, even when he realizes this is a system that doesn't often admit its mistakes. The tenacity of KC is likely to have viewers questioning if they have a friend so loyal … or if they themselves could be such a friend. Supporting work is provided by Zach Greiner, Josh Pais, Luke Forbes, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Adriane Lenox, Nestor Carbondell, Bill Camp, and Yul Vazquez. Natalie Paul plays Antoinette, the saintly woman who falls in love with Colin and marries him while he is incarcerated. We watch as the wheels of injustice roll over Colin – even demanding that he admit remorse in order to have his request for probation considered. Being a man of strong conviction, Colin holds firm on his innocence despite being hardened by life behind bars. Director Ruskin has delivered a decent movie, but with its vital story and issue, it's one probably better suited to a documentary structure. He wisely chooses not to pile on the legalities, and focuses more on the frustrations with a flawed system while also including an anti- death penalty message supported by the statistic of 2.4 million in prison – an estimated 120,000 of which are innocent.

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