Incredibly suspensful documentary. I felt so sorry for the boy who was accused and for the family. The ending is just incredible, the verdict was so chilling. I could feel the joy when he got released. Also a good insight how it's really like in a courtroom.

Terrifying and relieving.

I saw this a while ago, but I remember thinking the defense lawyer wasn't very good.

Documentary that demonstrates the clear fact that it remains the case that to be poor, black, young and male in the United States is to be at substantial risk of falling prey to an American criminal justice system that is still frequently biased, underfunded and/or inept.

Absolutely compelling courtroom drama. If you needed any more proof that cops are corrupt, inept, lying scumbags, here you go. Patrick McGuinness and the other public defenders are true heroes.

Very good fly-on-the-wall documentary covering a murder trial, which would've received a higher rating had I not watched de Lestrade's own follow-up - the much longer, more in-depth, but similar 'Staircase' - just a couple of months beforehand. This one leans (even) more toward the defendant, concentrating on his lawyer & family's perspective of the case before moving into the courtroom. Waiting for the verdict is every bit as suspenseful as with Michael Peterson though.

After seeing so many courtroom documentaries, I'm glad to see one that actually gives me hope in the system.

I saw this after Lestrade's 2004 ''The Staircase' (which I cannot muster enough hyperbole to recommend - GO GET IT NOW)... I won't give anything away except my two thumbs, which are pointing up. In the same vain as Errol Morris' 'The Thin Blue Line' and 'Paradise Lost': a true life court drama that leaves you seething with frustration at the inept, prejudiced and seemingly corrupt way justice seems doled out...something like that, (go listen to '...And Justice For All' afterwards)...um yeah:

Excellent documentary, absolutely excellent. It feels like Law & Order but in real life. Patrick McGuinness and the other public defenders are true heroes in my books for fighting the blantent disregard for proper police work and those detectives involved should be absolutely ashamed of themselves, not just because they almost put an innocent boy behind bars but because they almost let the real killer go free. Absolutely disgraceful but incredible documentary.

The Bad: The Defense's absurdly large pocket squares. The extremely corny soundtrack. The Good: Everything else. A full-access look into a terribly mishandled criminal investigation. Zero clutter, and straight forward story telling.

the mind boggles...

Couldn't pay me to have turned this off. It's hard to judge how much of it's effectiveness can be chalked up to the filmmakers, and how much can be attributed to the story itself, but I think that de Lestrade chose wisely by making the production as clutter-free as possible, while making room for small details like the droning hum of a car on a highway and the deathly creak of a judge's chair. A real life procedural, that never really pretends to be balanced, crafted with care and precision.

Captivating story. All de Lestrade had to do was tell it and he did a great job of that. Patrick McGuinness rules!

Eerily reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird. It's sad to see that society still has a long long way to go but thankfully, shown through people like Patrick McGuinness, there are still those who are willing to defend what's right. A powerful and eye opening documentary.