They tell the story in the beginning. Then they tell it again somewhat towards the end. They didn't really seem to add much in the second telling. Pacing was a little slow and disjointed. Not executed (no pun intended) well.
Story was interesting. I could see how one could easily argue they got the wrong person. Two people called it out for being racist. I don't get it. I think it was a little more about police incompetence, laziness, and desire to close a case. It's not inconceivable to me that they could have made a mistake in the 80s. It happens today, even with technology. The two people in question looked very similar. The guy they arrested had no blood on him even though it was a very bloody scene. He has no history of such violence or even using a knife, it's absurd to say "a criminal is a criminal". The other guy has a ton of history of violence with a knife that looks exactly like the one at the scene of the crime. But this guy who was arrested also wasn't behaving so smart: was that because he was afraid or in an emotional state?
Based on only the information in the documentary, I can see that it's extremely easy to accept they made a mistake. Who knows what information is missing. I am already someone who is against the death penalty, so this didn't change my view on it. I'm not sure what they wanted me to get out of the documentary. That police make mistakes and that they sometimes put the wrong guy in jail and don't really seem to care? No need, I know it's true, even if it's rare.
All in all, it was fine for the casual viewer but not super compelling because they didn't structure the documentary super well. I'm sure there are worse documentaries, though.
Story was interesting. I could see how one could easily argue they got the wrong person. Two people called it out for being racist. I don't get it. I think it was a little more about police incompetence, laziness, and desire to close a case. It's not inconceivable to me that they could have made a mistake in the 80s. It happens today, even with technology. The two people in question looked very similar. The guy they arrested had no blood on him even though it was a very bloody scene. He has no history of such violence or even using a knife, it's absurd to say "a criminal is a criminal". The other guy has a ton of history of violence with a knife that looks exactly like the one at the scene of the crime. But this guy who was arrested also wasn't behaving so smart: was that because he was afraid or in an emotional state?
Based on only the information in the documentary, I can see that it's extremely easy to accept they made a mistake. Who knows what information is missing. I am already someone who is against the death penalty, so this didn't change my view on it. I'm not sure what they wanted me to get out of the documentary. That police make mistakes and that they sometimes put the wrong guy in jail and don't really seem to care? No need, I know it's true, even if it's rare.
All in all, it was fine for the casual viewer but not super compelling because they didn't structure the documentary super well. I'm sure there are worse documentaries, though.