Summary: An
examination of a failure of justice in the case against the West Memphis Three.
As many
people may know I will watch a documentary about anything which, to be honest
is not always a good thing. The problem with my enthusiasm for documentaries is
that I don’t always check what a documentary is about before watching them and
this was the case with West of Memphis. For some reason when I sat down to
watch West of Memphis I thought it was going to be a music documentary so was a
little miffed when it came apparent it was yet another documentary about the
Memphis 3. I mean don’t get me wrong the wrongful conviction and freedom of the Memphis 3 is a very worthy
topic but hasn’t this subject matter been covered enough in the 3 Paradise Lost
films and the hundreds of TV interviews? Even Damien Echols (one of the Memphis
3) says during the course of the film that there are many cases like his in
America and he finds it strange that so much media focus has been given to the
Memphis 3 and I can’t help but agree
with Echols.
West of
Memphis is not a bad documentary and is very different from the Paradise
Lost trilogy. Where as the Paradise Lost series was filmed as the time events
happened (1st – The Memphis 3’s initial conviction, 2nd –
their appeal and 3rd – their freedom), West of Memphis has the
benefit of reflection, gives a distanced perspective and has a well-rounded
narrative. The problem I have with West of Memphis is that it does sometimes
come across as a vehicle for all of the Memphis 3’s famous supporters (Eddie
Vedder, Henry Rollins, Peter Jackson and Johnny Depp to name a few) to appear
on film to tell the world about their support and how nice they were to give
money/raise money for the cause and how they always believed the 3 were
innocent.
West of
Memphis did include things I did appreciate such as the opinions of different medical
examiners, the debunking of the cult killing theory and the private
investigation into Terry Hobbs. I felt that the film effectively highlighted
that the real offenders of the Robin Hood Hills murders will never be brought
to justice.
Overall: If
you have never heard or the Memphis 3 this is all you need to know but if you
have watched all the Paradise Lost Trilogy, West of
Memphis isn't really bringing anything new to the table. 6/10
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