West of Memphis

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West of Memphis

R

2012

2h 30m

Documentary

Crime

Drama

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Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

114 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Filmmaker Amy Berg tells the story of the fight to stop the state of Arkansas from executing an innocent man. Beginning with an examination into the police investigation into the 1993 murders of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, Berg brings to light new evidence surrounding the arrest and conviction of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley. All three were teens at the time and lost 18 years of their lives after being wrongly convicted and imprisoned.

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Critics Consensus

Both a sobering look at a true crime story and a scathing indictment of the American justice system, West of Memphis is a real-life horror story told with fury and compassion.

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Tom Long

Detroit News

04/05/2013

B+

It's not a new story, true, but "West of Memphis" makes it both extremely personal and universally painful.

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

03/29/2013

5/5

The film is so utterly transfixing you won't believe almost two-and-a-half hours have passed when the final credits roll.

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Joe Williams

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

03/21/2013

2/4

We feel like we're watching an overlong true-crime television episode and not a movie.

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

08/21/2022

4/5

An interesting documentary that had me challenging popular thoughts as well as weighing the wealth of new evidence and theories surrounding the case.

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

09/27/2020

3.5/4.0

I found myself leaving the theater in a stunned silence and amazingly disappointed in a justice system that seemed far more invested in protecting itself.

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David Harris

Spectrum Culture

11/19/2019

3/5

West of Memphis could have made a statement about presumptions and the fallibility of our justice system. Instead, we see millionaires like Vedder feeling good about themselves for saving three innocent people.

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Steven F.

@SteveGotScored Apr 8

Easily a powerful documentary!

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Maksim S

@MaksimusMovies Nov 10

This gripping follow-up to Paradise Lost exposes the legal and investigative failures behind the West Memphis Three case. With new evidence and intimate interviews, it’s a searing critique of injustice, corruption, and moral panic. Bleak, compelling, and unflinching, it’s a must-watch for anyone questioning the limits of the American justice system.

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Alain E

@AlainE 06/15/2025

An excellent documentary about the case that inspired Egoyan’s film Devil’s knot. Very well constructed one doesn’t mind following it for almost two and a half hours. It is remarkable that the state prosecutor continued to insist that no mistake was made when the three young men were initially convicted. The state Supreme Court congratulated the people who supported the defendants, which exposes the comedy of the “Alford plea” in this particular case : the state claims that the defendants are guilty of a heinous crime and then sets them free.

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Kyle M

@RT77296778 08/03/2024

Comprises the “Paradise Lost” experimental coverage trilogy in engaging retrospect with provocative insightful updates in reassuring, clarifying balance that effectively adds onto the case while criticizing the ignorant law system’s handling of the sensitive situation. (B+)

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georgan g

@RT98616417 06/13/2021

One more sad story of how poorly trained police and ladder climbing politicians can make life hell for some and allow others to get away with murder.

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Gina W

@RT47387387 09/17/2020

A documentary of justice gone wrong in Arkansas.

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Amy Berg

Director

Michael Baden

Actor

Jason Baldwin

Actor

John Mark Byers

Actor

Lorri Davis

Actor

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Amy Berg tells the story of the fight to stop the state of Arkansas from executing an innocent man. Beginning with an examination into the police investigation into the 1993 murders of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, Berg brings to light new evidence surrounding the arrest and conviction of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley. All three were teens at the time and lost 18 years of their lives after being wrongly convicted and imprisoned.

Director: Amy Berg
Producer: Amy Berg, Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson, Damien Wayne Echols, Lorri Davis
Screenwriter: Amy Berg, Billy McMillin
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: WingNut Films, Disarming Films
Rating: R (Some Language|Disturbing Violent Content)
Genre: Documentary, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 6, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $309.9K
Runtime: 2h 30m