West of Memphis

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West of Memphis

R

2012

2h 30m

Documentary

Crime

Drama

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Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

114 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Filmmaker Amy Berg tells the story of the fight to stop the state of Arkansas from executing an innocent man. Beginning with an examination into the police investigation into the 1993 murders of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, Berg brings to light new evidence surrounding the arrest and conviction of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley. All three were teens at the time and lost 18 years of their lives after being wrongly convicted and imprisoned.

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Critics Consensus

Both a sobering look at a true crime story and a scathing indictment of the American justice system, West of Memphis is a real-life horror story told with fury and compassion.

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Tom Long

Detroit News

It's not a new story, true, but "West of Memphis" makes it both extremely personal and universally painful.

Rated: B+

Apr 5, 2013

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

The film is so utterly transfixing you won't believe almost two-and-a-half hours have passed when the final credits roll.

Rated: 5/5

Mar 29, 2013

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Joe Williams

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

We feel like we're watching an overlong true-crime television episode and not a movie.

Rated: 2/4

Mar 21, 2013

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

An interesting documentary that had me challenging popular thoughts as well as weighing the wealth of new evidence and theories surrounding the case.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 21, 2022

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

I found myself leaving the theater in a stunned silence and amazingly disappointed in a justice system that seemed far more invested in protecting itself.

Rated: 3.5/4.0

Sep 27, 2020

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David Harris

Spectrum Culture

West of Memphis could have made a statement about presumptions and the fallibility of our justice system. Instead, we see millionaires like Vedder feeling good about themselves for saving three innocent people.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 19, 2019

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Alain E

An excellent documentary about the case that inspired Egoyan’s film Devil’s knot. Very well constructed one doesn’t mind following it for almost two and a half hours. It is remarkable that the state prosecutor continued to insist that no mistake was made when the three young men were initially convicted. The state Supreme Court congratulated the people who supported the defendants, which exposes the comedy of the “Alford plea” in this particular case : the state claims that the defendants are guilty of a heinous crime and then sets them free.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/15/25

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Kyle M

Comprises the “Paradise Lost” experimental coverage trilogy in engaging retrospect with provocative insightful updates in reassuring, clarifying balance that effectively adds onto the case while criticizing the ignorant law system’s handling of the sensitive situation. (B+)

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/03/24

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georgan g

One more sad story of how poorly trained police and ladder climbing politicians can make life hell for some and allow others to get away with murder.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

A documentary of justice gone wrong in Arkansas.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

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Audience Member

If you've seen the Paradise Lost trio of films there is literally no reason to watch this film. It's the same material and nothing new other than the celeb backing is added. Those films were better as well.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

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richard i

A gripping campaigning film which has noble, just sentiment at its heart, but also incidentally, and perhaps damagingly, undermines justice by pointing fingers at individuals who don't have Peter Jackson, Johnny Depp and Eddie Vedder's money to defend themselves - a form of mob justice which might be called trial by multiplex.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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Amy Berg

Director

Michael Baden

Actor

Jason Baldwin

Actor

John Mark Byers

Actor

Lorri Davis

Actor

Johnny Depp

Actor

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Amy Berg tells the story of the fight to stop the state of Arkansas from executing an innocent man. Beginning with an examination into the police investigation into the 1993 murders of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, Berg brings to light new evidence surrounding the arrest and conviction of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley. All three were teens at the time and lost 18 years of their lives after being wrongly convicted and imprisoned.

Director: Amy Berg
Producer: Amy Berg, Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson, Damien Wayne Echols, Lorri Davis
Screenwriter: Amy Berg, Billy McMillin
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: WingNut Films, Disarming Films
Rating: R (Some Language|Disturbing Violent Content)
Genre: Documentary, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 6, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $309.9K
Runtime: 2h 30m

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