Customer Reviews

Court TV - Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I watch "Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice" every week on the Court Channel, and I must say that it is NEVER boring.

This particular show is about crimes that were comitted by the VERY rich (and sometimes famous), how they were solved, and whether or not true justice was done. Can money buy justice these days? Well, according to this show, the rich can no longer count on that!

Many of these shows deal with murder, and money is generally at the root of it all (it's amazing that some people never have enough money, and what they'll do to get more is down right sickening sometimes!).

Dominick Dunne does a great job of hosting this show. In fact, he was/is one of the rich himself, so he was known to hobnob with many of the people he now commentates about (I wonder if he is still invited to all those extravegant parties?).

Overall, if you're a crime buff, & enjoy watching the criminal justice process (from realizing there's the crime, to solving "who dunnit", to the court room trial & judgement), then this would be a great DVD for you.

the best , dunne is my hero , I'm so glad they have made a dvd of this, it's one of the best shows on television

This is one of the Best DVDS that I have ever PURCHASED...THESE RICH PEOPLE ARE nuts!!! They have the American Dream right in the palms of their hands and they give it up for the dumbest reasons...Which goes to show that money can buy alot of things but COMMON SENSE!!!! Love it...

Dominick Dunne's show "Power, Privilege, Justice" focused on the legal troubles of rich people. The show was great, but you always had the feeling that you shouldn't be so interested in other people's problems. This two-DVD set captures eight of the best episodes; if anything, the DVD is better than watching on TV because you don't have to put up with the commercials.

In no particular order, the eight episodes are:
1) Alex Kelly was a teenager from a Darien, Connecticut, family who raped two of his high school classmates. Rather than face justice he spent eight years on the run - with his parent's help.
2) T. Cullen Davis was a Texas oil tycoon. He was accused of murdering his stepdaughter and his wife's boyfriend. Later, he was accused of hiring a hit man to kill a judge and his wife.
3) Dana Ewell hired a friend to kill his father, mother, and sister - all so that he could inherit the family's $8 million fortune and not have to share with his sister.
4) Steven Beard was a lonely, elderly man who met - then married - an exciting woman named Celeste. Celeste's lesbian lover murdered Beard so that they could inherit his estate.
5) Ruth Anne Aron was a rising Maryland politician when bad publicity stained her public image. She tried to get even by hiring a hit man to eliminate her rivals.
6) Jim Sullivan was living the good life in Palm Beach when his marriage turned sour. Desperate to avoid paying a settlement, he hired a hit man who killed Sullivan's wife. Bringing Sullivan to justice would take about 15 years and would involve an international manhunt.
7) Joe Pikul was a Wall Street "Master of the Universe" who also enjoyed cross-dressing. He also murdered his wife. This story would be completely unbelievable if it weren't true.
8) Scott Benson murdered his mother and his nephew with a car bomb. The bombing was motivated by greed, but it was also driven by his desire to strike back at his domineering mother.

Each episode is about 40 minutes long.

True crime fans will want to watch these stories. Some of them are familiar, but all of them are interesting.

I watched this series thinking that the show would mainly be Dominick Dunne and these murders. I have read ALL of his writings about these same cases. If you don't like reading, I guess this show is the best thing you can do about exposing yourself to the genius of his criminal law writings. However, for those of us who have read his work, this comes in as a very pale imitation of the the real thing. There is an entirely different narrator used for the cases plus the visuals have nothing to do with Dunne either. His sole use is in scenes where the camera cuts away to him and he gives us a few pithy sentences about the cases. There is none of his in depth analysis or commentary as there is in his writings. I was very disappointed by this. I'd say 90% of the show is screen moments other than Dunne and 10% or less are Dunne commenting about the case. This was not nearly enough for me. I suppose if you know nothing about these cases then you may find it more interesting than I did. I had read Dunne's absolutely riveting accounts of the same cases. Personally, I would give this show only two stars but I expect those viewers who haven't read Dunne might give it more stars so I am giving it three stars instead.

a must-have for fans of Mr. Dunne! He is at his crumudgeonly best in this series, documenting the crimes of the wealthy elite.

Thank God I am not wealthy! I don't have to worry about losing a $$ inheritance, or losing a wealthy husband, or not marrying enough $$ as the people in this DVD did. I enjoy true crime documentaries of this nature due to being somewhat poor and wanting more. I have seen countless times what desperate people with no morals ( and who feel they are above the law) will do for $$ and power in this series, hosted excellently by Dominick Dunne. Well worth your $$.