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Mar 12, 2018ba_library rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A film based on a true story. An eighteen year African-American old boy is convicted of second degree murder and sentenced 15 years to life for the crime in Brooklyn, NY (Flatbush). He proclaims throughout his arrest, his trial, his incarceration that he is innocent. His family supports him and raises money for an appeal which is denied. His cousin gets a job as a process server (a person who delivers legal papers and documents) to get more of an inside education to the legal process and finds insiders who can get him documents and information, he also finds an attorney willing to re-examine the case. The man served 21 years and has more or less given up any hope of being released (parole was denied after 15 years), but through the efforts of his friend and his family; they search out old witnesses and get correct information, and his cousin goes to the press for public outreach, the man is finally released. A great movie looking at the justice system and what is considered justice. The police just need a conviction. The attorneys are overworked and under involved and come across rather recreational. Good movie, rather grim at first, but the acting is good and the story moves along quickly, for an uplifting ending. It notes at the end the number of innocent men in jail. The legal system can be very complex and complicated - you really need a team who knows their way through the process and are willing to invest time and interest in your case. What is justice? How long should you fight for it? How many mistakes are made yearly, weekly, daily? Of course, everyone pleading innocent is not innocent, but those who are innocent and wrongly convicted deserve special attention, and this movie portrays that very well.