This is a visually generic documentary - it could almost pass for a high school film project in that regard. But the subject matter is quite compelling, especially for a resident of the Los Angeles area.
It's the story of a murder investigation that took place in the Agoura Hills section of Los Angeles County, about fifty miles north of the city proper, a relatively upscale and crime-free neighborhood. Jimmy Farris and Mike McLoren were selling marijuana out of what even the teenagers called a "fort" in their backyard when they were accosted by the Holland brothers (Jason and Micah), Tony Miliotti, and Brandon Hein. What happened next is disputed. What just about everyone can agree on is that Jason Holland stabbed both McLoren and Farris with a pocketknife. McLoren was wounded and Farris died on the scene.
All four of the participants in the brawl were sentenced to life in prison, even though by the lone prosecution eyewitness McLoren's admittance, Miliotti and Hein mostly stood around watching. They, however, were prosecuted under a new law that made gang members responsible for one another's behavior. So one of the two central questions of the movie is based on that assumption: was this a gang killing?
The second question is whether these boys got a fair trial. The deceased's father, you see, was an LAPD officer, and the families of the accused felt that their sons got unduly railroaded because of it. In addition, the district attorney's office had just lost the OJ case, had failed to nail Michael Jackson, had just seen Erik Menendez nearly walk away because of a mistrial. They had something to prove. And justice may (or may not) have been thrown out the window in the process.
It's a provocative film that, at the very least, documents a police force, DA's office, and community in crisis. It underachieves technically, but don't let the crudeness fool you; the ideas here are solid. Definitely worth a look.
It's the story of a murder investigation that took place in the Agoura Hills section of Los Angeles County, about fifty miles north of the city proper, a relatively upscale and crime-free neighborhood. Jimmy Farris and Mike McLoren were selling marijuana out of what even the teenagers called a "fort" in their backyard when they were accosted by the Holland brothers (Jason and Micah), Tony Miliotti, and Brandon Hein. What happened next is disputed. What just about everyone can agree on is that Jason Holland stabbed both McLoren and Farris with a pocketknife. McLoren was wounded and Farris died on the scene.
All four of the participants in the brawl were sentenced to life in prison, even though by the lone prosecution eyewitness McLoren's admittance, Miliotti and Hein mostly stood around watching. They, however, were prosecuted under a new law that made gang members responsible for one another's behavior. So one of the two central questions of the movie is based on that assumption: was this a gang killing?
The second question is whether these boys got a fair trial. The deceased's father, you see, was an LAPD officer, and the families of the accused felt that their sons got unduly railroaded because of it. In addition, the district attorney's office had just lost the OJ case, had failed to nail Michael Jackson, had just seen Erik Menendez nearly walk away because of a mistrial. They had something to prove. And justice may (or may not) have been thrown out the window in the process.
It's a provocative film that, at the very least, documents a police force, DA's office, and community in crisis. It underachieves technically, but don't let the crudeness fool you; the ideas here are solid. Definitely worth a look.