A Crime on the Bayou

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A Crime on the Bayou

Released Jun 18, 2021

1h 31m

Documentary

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24 Reviews

92%

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

A Crime on the Bayou is the story of Gary Duncan, a Black teenager from Plaquemines Parish, a swampy strip of land south of New Orleans. In 1966, Duncan tries to break up an argument between white and Black teenagers outside a newly integrated school. He gently lays his hand on a white boy's arm. The boy recoils like a snake. That night, police burst into Duncan's trailer and arrest him for assault on a minor. A young Jewish attorney, Richard Sobol, leaves his prestigious D.C. firm to volunteer in New Orleans. With his help, Duncan bravely stands up to a racist legal system powered by a white supremacist boss to challenge his unfair arrest. Their fight goes all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and their lifelong friendship is forged.

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Peter Rainer

FilmWeek (LAist)

It's a good, straightforward documentary.

Jun 22, 2021

Full Review

Robert Daniels

Los Angeles Times

Buirski's 90-minute film, "A Crime on the Bayou," reminds us how Duncan and Sobol are pillars of courage.

Jun 20, 2021

Full Review

Steven Boone

RogerEbert.com

Filmmaker Nancy Buirski has an elegant, judicious way of imparting the facts of the case, taking not just the political temperature of the moment (boiling) but finely sketching the character and minds of the people involved.

Rated: 4/4

Jun 18, 2021

Full Review

Sarah Vincent

Cambridge Day

The film’s narrative has some inherent problems, as it rewinds constantly to provide backstory before proceeding, but it’s well worth a little repetition to see how far we have come and be shocked at how little has changed.

Rated: 2.5/4

Aug 16, 2023

Full Review

Peter Canavese

Celluloid Dreams

Does a good job in balancing the legal, the political and the personal in the telling of its story.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 18, 2021

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Robin Clifford

Reeling Reviews

makes for the opposite of a story of a miscarriage of justice. Could we have here a story of the carriage of justice?

Rated: B

Jun 24, 2021

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ken s.

The portraits of the characters were down to earth, realistic. The cinematography was beautiful, stunning in some points. However, the numerous characters became difficult to track as the movie rolled on. Overall, a fine experience.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/02/21

Full Review

gaston

too much focus on the lawyer and not the main character

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

06/25/21

Full Review

David H

The initial situation was hard to take at first, but it resonates all the way up through George Floyd's treatment. It's interesting that the conversations in this film are either re-enactments from court records or audio recordings, but was what blew the Derek Chauvin trial open was video taken by a bystander teenage girl.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/21/21

Full Review

Norm S

Powerful on how it relate to Civil Rights. Only bad part the legalese of the cases got a bit complicated. Still worth seeing.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/13/25

Full Review

Kaelyn S

Empowering story of a fight for movement. Some repetition throughout but overall it is a very strong and telling story. Would recommend to anyone interested in sit down documentaries you can play in the background while doing another task.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/20/25

Full Review

Dave S

While the documentary A Crime on the Bayou doesn't provide any new insights into the problem of race relations in the United States (yes, it exists and seems to thrive in the current climate), it succeeds on the strength of its story. In 1965, a young Louisiana man attempts to stop a fight between two black boys and a group of white students by placing his hand on the arm of one of the white boys. Later that day, a warrant is issued for his arrest, ultimately leading to an assault charge. Filled with excellent archival footage and interviews, from both then and now, with those involved in the travesty of justice, it is reminder that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/03/24

Full Review

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Nancy Buirski

Director

Gary Duncan

Actor

Richard Sobol

Actor

Nancy Buirski

Writer

Nancy Buirski

Producer

Claire L. Chandler

Producer

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A Crime on the Bayou: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

A Crime on the Bayou is the story of Gary Duncan, a Black teenager from Plaquemines Parish, a swampy strip of land south of New Orleans. In 1966, Duncan tries to break up an argument between white and Black teenagers outside a newly integrated school. He gently lays his hand on a white boy's arm. The boy recoils like a snake. That night, police burst into Duncan's trailer and arrest him for assault on a minor. A young Jewish attorney, Richard Sobol, leaves his prestigious D.C. firm to volunteer in New Orleans. With his help, Duncan bravely stands up to a racist legal system powered by a white supremacist boss to challenge his unfair arrest. Their fight goes all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and their lifelong friendship is forged.

Director: Nancy Buirski
Producer: Nancy Buirski, Claire L. Chandler, Susan Margolin
Screenwriter: Nancy Buirski
Distributor: Shout! Studios
Production Co: Augusta Films, Get Lifted Film Company, Artemis Rising Foundation
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 18, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 3, 2021
Runtime: 1h 31m

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