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Murder on a Sunday Morning

Play trailer Poster for Murder on a Sunday Morning Released Sep 14, 2001 1h 51m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 3 Reviews 90% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
On May 7, 2000, in the parking lot of the Ramada Inn in Jacksonville, Florida, 65-year-old Mary Ann Stephens is shot in the head before her husband's eyes. Ninety minutes later, 15-year-old Brenton Butler is arrested. For the investigators and the media it's just another messed-up youth, just another wasted life.
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Murder on a Sunday Morning

Critics Reviews

View All (3) Critics Reviews
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Aug 12, 2005 Full Review Brian Gibson Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Alberta) This French documentary ranks with the best I have seen. . . . The strength of the film is its patient, chronological build-up. Dec 1, 2003 Full Review Christopher Null Filmcritic.com a fascinating story held in a merely so-so package. Rated: 3.5/5 Apr 5, 2003 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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David d Just a fantastic documentary. Documentaries about law and crime and justice are my favorite. This one had public defenders in it racial Justice and corrupt cops. This was my favorite documentary. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Won the 2001 Academy Award for Documentary (Feature) and deservedly so. A no frills, real life situational experience involving good lawyers dedicated to truth; alongside the politics of a DA and detectives trying to cover their asses. A sad reality that plays out all too often and for too long in our history. I suspect in years to come when folks have forgotten about Murder on a Sunday Morning, another documentary will be done. Same subject matter. And nothing will have changed. If you are a black boy walking innocently down the street and just happen to be in the vicinity of a crime then better have your timeline ready at hand cause you're an easy target for police, sadly. God help us to change. Help us see that all men are equal and are deserving of "innocent until proven guilty." Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Yet more evidence of corruption within the US police and judicial system. How anyone can have any faith in their system is beyond me. It's not as if stories like this are an exception and police officers simply walk free. Decent documentary. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member This is, and always will be, the greatest documentary ever made. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member Another documentary providing an example of the disturbingly common injustice in the US legal system where the crimes involve white victims and black suspects. The case is interesting and the documentary offers close insight into the court trial. However it barely delved deep into the nitty gritty details and predominantly followed the events from the public defender's perspective as he explains his opinion and witness questioning techniques. While this makes it quite educational for aspiring lawyers, incorporating some dramatic tension and case/character analysis would have definitely raised its entertainment value. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member 2/29/16 Sundance Now Doc Another in a long list of docs that explore the criminal justice system and the people unfairly accused and at times convicted. This shows the sloppy, lazy and unprofessional work of members of the Jacksonville Sheriffs Department. Fortunately, Mr. Butler had a smart, hard working and solid Public Defender who got the right outcome. It doesnt always work that way. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Murder on a Sunday Morning

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis On May 7, 2000, in the parking lot of the Ramada Inn in Jacksonville, Florida, 65-year-old Mary Ann Stephens is shot in the head before her husband's eyes. Ninety minutes later, 15-year-old Brenton Butler is arrested. For the investigators and the media it's just another messed-up youth, just another wasted life.
Director
Jean-Xavier de Lestrade
Producer
Denis Poncet
Production Co
Société des Producteurs de Cinéma et de Télévision (Procirep), Maha Productions, Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC), Home Box Office (HBO), France 2 Cinéma, Pathé Archives
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 14, 2001, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 9, 2017
Runtime
1h 51m
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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