Movie #28 West of Memphis 2012 *Minor Spoilers*
I was skeptical of this documentary at first thinking, OK the three films covered the case pretty well will this simply be a rehash or sum up of these films. Having found Bergs 2015 documentary Prophets Prey to be a absorbing and powerful film I thought i`d take the chance and I`m glad I did. Well of course it goes through things covered in the first three films it also provides new information and courtroom footage that was previously not used in the P.L films. Another aspect of the case that is only touched upon lightly in Paradise Lost 3 is Terry Hobbs and his suspected guilt in the murders. Hobbs is an unnerving character and at one point even laughs during his interview by police, its chilling stuff. Its also interesting that until he has to Hobbs never is interviewed in PL 1 or 2 until he finally has to in the third film. If you re-watch it you`ll note that he never shows any real emotion in the footage from the trails etc. We also learn the roles Peter Jackson and his wife played in helping the boys which funds for experts. The whole case is a disturbing look at a gruesome murder and how through a severely botched case by the police,politics and just poor mis management all around lead to a killer walking free and three innocent boys losing almost two decades of their lives and in a big way it took away there innocence as well. A modern day witch hunt by an over eager police force to wrap up a case and pin it on three low income boys who just happen to be different. A chilling remainder that our justice system is terribly flawed. Well worth viewing. As is the Paradise Lost Trilogy.
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