"American Hangman" was a well-produced, low-budget film. The premise of the live streaming of a vigilante's trial of a judge was clever and at times insightful. The most memorable portions of the dialogue were the arguments about the inherent flaws in the American legal system.
Donald Sutherland is convincing in the role of the judge, arguing the case of his life. The filmmakers were successful in avoiding a static, single room environment by incorporating the response of the local police and the media. There was an interesting batch of characters, including the veteran police officer about to retire, the rogue tech expert tracking the courtroom scene, and the detective involved in the case that convicted an innocent man. It was apparent at the outset that the detective was defensive about his work and knew that the case was flawed. There was only room for improvement in the characterization of the perp, which was nondescript and bland.
A weakness of the film was in the ending, which was abrupt and lacked any sense of denouement. The audience needed to learn something about the aftermath of this bizarre and painful saga.
Donald Sutherland is convincing in the role of the judge, arguing the case of his life. The filmmakers were successful in avoiding a static, single room environment by incorporating the response of the local police and the media. There was an interesting batch of characters, including the veteran police officer about to retire, the rogue tech expert tracking the courtroom scene, and the detective involved in the case that convicted an innocent man. It was apparent at the outset that the detective was defensive about his work and knew that the case was flawed. There was only room for improvement in the characterization of the perp, which was nondescript and bland.
A weakness of the film was in the ending, which was abrupt and lacked any sense of denouement. The audience needed to learn something about the aftermath of this bizarre and painful saga.