Crime + Punishment

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Crime + Punishment

2018

1h 52m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

28 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

Amidst a landmark class-action lawsuit over illegal policing quotas, filmmakers use footage recorded over the course of four years to chronicle the real lives and struggles of black and Latino NYPD officers.

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Critics Consensus

Crime + Punishment shines a brilliant light on systemic corruption, building a case for change that's as upsetting as it is ultimately inspiring.

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Jo Livingstone

The New Republic

Aug 30, 2018

If the movie has a still point inside it-an unassailable conclusion-it's that justice and the law are not the same thing.

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Soraya Nadia McDonald

Andscape

Aug 28, 2018

Maing's documentary doesn't offer an answer to whether a system as vast and powerful as the NYPD can be reformed from the inside. But he illustrates just how difficult it is to try and how many disincentives face officers who challenge the status quo.

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Odie Henderson

RogerEbert.com

Aug 24, 2018

3.5/4

That rare kind of important documentary that's compelling enough to possibly enact change.

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Vadim Rizov

Filmmaker Magazine

Jan 6, 2023

Maing does good longform work tracking his large cast over four years. (Big shout-out for using drone shots in a non-hacky way, in sustained shots that cast an ominous spell rather than drifting purposelessly...)

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Cory Woodroof

615 Film

Feb 11, 2022

It's a story that's got all the drama and intrigue of the best crime stories, but also pulls the audience down to the street level to see what happens when punishment goes awry, and grabs hold of innocent bystanders.

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Lonita Cook

KCTV5 News at 9

Oct 1, 2021

It was very interesting, but nothing new.

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Matthew R

@RT52830269 Aug 15, 2025

Only thing that sort of surprised me, i mean dirty cops, whodathunkit?, was that it isnt necessarily the cops who are dirty its leadership forcing cops to be dirty.

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Jun 9, 2020

everything in this documentary is a lie. Manny Gomez is a Con

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Aug 29, 2018

I love the struggle the beat cop had to go through to patrol myc

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Robert S

@rodash Aug 25, 2018

A powerful sobering look at the rot within the nypd and the courage of 12 brave cops who are trying to stop abuses.

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dave d

@RT34924333 Aug 23, 2018

Stephen Maing's 'Crime + Punishment' is layered, heartbreaking, and engrossing. It's one of the best documentaries of 2018 that you likely haven't seen. Maing chronicles several minority New York Police Department (NYPD) officers and their alleged mistreatment mainly for not arresting enough people and issuing the requisite number of summons. The NYPD quota system was supposedly abolished, but the more Maing digs the worse the NYPD looks. He brilliantly humanizes the officers and draws you into the personal struggle of each. They are doing a job they love and fighting a corrupt system at the same time. The documentary comes from many different angles, but if you've ever had a bad boss who took a job you loved and made you hate coming to work this is a great movie for you. I can't recommend this enough.. Final Score: 8.8/10

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gary w

@RT45200428 Aug 23, 2018

A story well told of hidden bureaucratic racism that impacts people of color throughout the nation. This is what I always thought investigative journalism was all about, find a cause, understand/explain the fight and expose the injustice. The story is compelling but the telling is exceptional. Just the right amount of back story and insight into the difficult world of law enforcement and the pressures it brings. Especially poignant is the story of Edwin Raymond of the "NYPD 12" who is refused promotion to Sergeant because he refuses to participate in the quota system even though he scores near the top of those taking the exam.

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Stephen Maing

Director

Edwin Raymond

Actor

Laura Poitras

Executive Producer

Stephen Maing

Producer

Eric Daniel Metzgar

Producer

Ross Tuttle

Producer

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Synopsis

Amidst a landmark class-action lawsuit over illegal policing quotas, filmmakers use footage recorded over the course of four years to chronicle the real lives and struggles of black and Latino NYPD officers.

Director: Stephen Maing
Producer: Stephen Maing, Eric Daniel Metzgar, Ross Tuttle
Distributor: IFC Films
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 24, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 25, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $8.8K
Runtime: 1h 52m

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