5.0 out of 5 stars
so shocking, January 27, 2012
This review is from: Last Word, The (DVD)
if u like the stories that revile the sad side of the law the side that puts a man to death for a murder he did not commit then you will love this documentary. The interviews will make u take a good look at your judicial system.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
another texas travesty, March 13, 2011
This review is from: Last Word, The (DVD)
The case of 17 year-old Johnny Frank Garrett, a minor with an IQ in the 70s and a history of abuse when he was a child, who was accused of murdering and raping a nun in her her convent bedroom in Amarillo, Texas, is treated here in a bit of a too high-pitched mode. The simple facts of this horrific case, and the incompetence of the north Texas "system" of justice ought to have been enough for a powerful film. Unfortunately, Quackenbush gets a bit overwrought in the way he lays out his story - especially in the playing up the multiple later deaths and illnesses of people connected with the mentally retarded Garrett's conviction and execution. Quackenbush infers that their sufferings were brought on by a death row "curse letter" that Garrett, proclaiming his innocence up to the end, issued in defiance of those who had a part in securing a guilty verdict for him.
That being said, TLW is a truly shocking introduction to the white fundamentalist Christian vengeance-oriented fear culture that predominates in places like Amarillo. The film maker presents a strong case for its influence on the conviction and death of Garrett. Moreover, subsequent developments in the case after Garrett's execution point to his innocence and back to the original suspects in the crime. Viewers will be taken aback by the unusually strong and incisive remarks about Texas culture and justice by the director of the Texas Innocence Project.... and - alas - they ring true. Many of the north Texans determined to execute Garrett also seem like natural recruits for Tea Party Republicanism and enthusiasts of "2nd amendment remedies." It is most sobering to know that they already are part of the state government of Texas, and occupy seats in the US House of Representatives.
If you can get past Quackenbush's sensationalism and focus on the core issues of the crime and its prosecution, you will have an insight into the fallacies of fundamentalist right wing culture and the institutions of justice it corrupts.
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