The story of the West Memphis Three has been told quite thoroughly through a series of documentaries. The crime and the subsequent trial has been meticulously studied, thousands of hours of footage, testimony and conjecture all capturing the miscarriage of justice that led to the conviction of three innocent teenagers back in 1994. Devil's Knot attempts to dramatize these same events, and the result feels a bit redundant. It might serve as a fine enough introduction to the facts of this case, but it ultimately adds nothing to the discussion. Viewers are far better off looking into the media that has covered this same ground.
In May of 1993, in West Memphis, Arkansas, three young boys rode their bikes into the woods and never returned. Days later, their bodies are found in a creek, victims of an apparent murder. Three teenagers are accused of the murder, with their supposed interest in the occult stated as the main source of suspicion. Private investigator Ron Lax (Colin Firth) takes an interest in the case and volunteers his services to the defense. Meanwhile, as the case unfolds, Pam Hobbs (Reese Witherspoon), one of the mothers of the victims, begins to have doubts about the guilt of the defendants.
The film's approach to the story is pretty unremarkable. It largely documents the events as they happened, presenting them in a fairly straightforward, factual manner. While an adherence to the truth is appreciated, this material has already been covered by a lot of different media. Compared to the firsthand accounts available to us through documentaries, this dramatization just feels like an unnecessary bit of obfuscation. And in the end, the film doesn't offer much in the way of actual insight into this case. It ends up presenting the police as nothing more than buffoons, and the judge as just a terrible person.
The film could have tried to find the humanity in these characters, to show them more conflicted or frustrated by the way things turned out. It could have spent more time with the teens accused, fleshing them out to really understand where they're coming from. The film ends up spreading itself too thin in trying to capture all the important events of this case, and never gets the time to really explore the motivations of the characters involved. It simply retells the story as it already exists in the mind of those familiar with it, never taking the risk to look at the bigger picture. The film does assemble a fairly impressive cast. Colin Firth holds the reins tightly in his portrayal of investigator Ron Lax. In the hands of another actor, the role might have come off as an empty crusader, by the nuance that Firth injects into the role gives it remarkable depth. Reese Witherspoon plays an intriguing variety of notes as a grieving mother, largely avoiding the simple clichés that might come with a character like this. It does feel like the two studied their real life counterparts closely, and found bits of insight that the script wasn't prepared to flesh out.
Devil's Knot isn't objectionable in any way. It does tell the story of what happened, the production is solid enough, and the acting is at times impressive. But it still feels wholly unnecessary. The rote dramatization of these events adds nothing to the story. There was a chance here to go beyond what has already been presented, to use artistic license to dig deeper into the factors that led to such a travesty of justice. But the film is unwilling to take those risks. It is a good enough movie for people completely unfamiliar with the event, but I would advise that potential viewers seek out the Paradise Lost documentaries instead.
My Rating:
