Crown Heights (2017)

 

 

    

 

Crown Heights is a historical and biographical drama (based on a true story) which premiered in 2017. 

 

It is the story of a young man (Colin Warner), who was the victim of a wrongful conviction. It is also the story of his childhood friend (Carl “KC” King), who believed in Colin’s innocence and campaigned for his release.

 

In 1980, Colin was arrested for a crime he did not commit. In 2001, after serving more than 20 years, he was finally released from prison.

 

Here is some basic information about this drama:

 

** Writer and director: Matt Ruskin

** Based on This American Life (episode # 282) by Anya Bourg (11 February 2005)

** Consultants: Colin Warner & Carl “KC” King

** Available from Amazon Prime Video

** Run time: 100 minutes

 

The cast includes the following:

 

** LaKeith Stanfield as Colin Warner – accused of murder

** Nnamdi Asomugha as Carl “KC” King – a mechanic – Colin’s friend

** Adriane Lenox as Grace – Colin’s mother

** Natalie Paul as Antoinette – Colin’s friend // girlfriend // wife

** Marsha Stephanie Blake as Briana – Carl’s wife

 

** Zach Grenier as Detective Cassel

** Luke Forbes as Anthony Gibson – accused of murder

** Nestor Carbonell as Bruce Regenstreich – Colin’s first lawyer

** Josh Pais as District Attorney Maffeo

 

** Ron Canada as Judge Marcy

** Skylan Brooks as Clarence Lewis – a witness

** Bill Camp as William Robedee – Colin’s second lawyer

** Sarah Goldberg as Shirley Robedee – William’s wife

 

Since this drama is based on a true story, the basic facts are part of the public record. They are not a secret. Therefore I feel free to mention some of them in this review.

 

While this drama is based on a true story, it is not a documentary film. It is a dramatized version of events. Not everything happened exactly as shown here. But the basic story is true.

 

The story begins on 10 April 1980 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. On that day a teenager is killed in the middle of a street in broad daylight. Shortly after this happens, Colin is arrested by the police and accused of murder. It is the start of a long nightmare. The police officers say they have an eyewitness who saw Colin commit the crime.

 

Colin says he was not present at the scene and does not even know the victim. He claims he is innocent. The police officers do not have the murder weapon. And there is no physical evidence which connects Colin with the crime. But this does not matter. The police officers have decided he is guilty. And he is charged with murder. In 1982 he is found guilty in a court of law. His sentence is 15 years to life.

 

Colin’s childhood friend Carl “KC” King does not believe the charge. He works tirelessly to secure Colin’s release from prison. For many years he does not get any results, but he pays a heavy price for his belief: he spends his personal savings and his marriage falls apart.

 

After many years, Carl finds a lawyer who is ready to listen to him. William Robedee and his wife Shirley begin to work on the case and once they do, they are able to demonstrate that there is no case against Colin. He is innocent, as he had claimed from the very beginning. In 2001 his conviction is vacated and he is released from prison, after serving more than 20 years.

 

In this drama, we follow Colin’s case from the beginning in 1980 until the end in 2001. We see Colin in prison where he has to deal with the guards and with other prisoners. Not many of them are helpful or nice. We also see Carl who is on the outside where he is trying to work for Colin’s release. It is a hard struggle. For many years he does not get any results. Colin has to be patient, but it is not easy to be patient when you are in prison for a crime you did not commit.

 

What do reviewers say about this drama? Here are the results of three review aggregators:

 

** 63 per cent = IMDb

** 64 per cent = Metacritic

** 77 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes

 

The topic is important, but the reviews are not impressive, as you can see. The average ratings correspond to somewhere between three and four stars on Amazon. If you ask me, they are all too low. Why?

 

The script is well-written and the actors play their roles well. The story is captivating, dramatic and often highly emotional. In addition, it is based on a true story.

 

I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars.

 

PS # 1. In the movie, the teenager who was killed in 1980 is called Marvin Grant. His real name is Mario Hamilton.

 

PS # 2. There are many cases of wrongful conviction in the US. Some of them have been adapted for the screen, either as a documentary film or a docudrama, i.e. a dramatized version of events. Here are some examples:

 

** Call Northside 777 (1948)

** The Hurricane (1999)

** After Innocence (2005)

** The Trials of Darryl Hunt (2006)

** Conviction (2010)

** The Wronged Man (2010)

** The Central Park Five (2012)

** West of Memphis (2012)

** David and Me (2014)

** Time Simply Passes (2016)

 

PS # 3. The following articles are available online:

 

** Curtis Harris, “The courage of his conviction,” City Limits, 1 January 2002

** Sara Stewart, “The haunting real-life tale behind new movie, Crown Heights,” New York Post, 23 August 2017

** Wandera Hussein, “The Wrong Man,” The Fader, 21 September 2017

 

PS # 4. Colin Warner is listed in the National Registry of Exonerations; the case file is written by Maurice Possley.

 

PS # 5. Eyewitness identification is not reliable. It is well-documented – even if it is not well-known – that this form of identification is highly unreliable. Mistakes are common. Especially when a white person has to identify a black person, or vice versa.

 

For more information, see the following article: Thomas Albright & Jed Rakoff, “Eyewitnesses aren’t as reliable as you might think,” Washington Post, 30 January 2015.

 

PS # 6. A famous case about misidentification involves Ronald Cotton and Jennifer Thompson-Cannino. See their book Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption (2010).

 

PS # 7. Police officers, who are eager to close a case, may force a suspect to sign a confession, even if this suspect is innocent. 

 

For more information, see the following book: True Stories of False Confessions edited by Rob Warden & Steven A. Drizen (2009). See also “The Confessions” an episode of Frontline (2010).

 

PS # 8. Police officers may also force a (possible) witness to sign a statement in which this person reports seeing something he or she did not see, just to please the police officers. Obviously, this method will lead the investigation in a wrong direction. This is what happened in Colin Warner’s case.

 

*****