Its all the more reason to applaud remember, a return to form of sorts that echoes the handheld looseness of egoyan s earliest films like next of kin. The west memphis three case has been tackled capably in four documentaries and numerous books, but atom egoyans attempt to put his. Months after we first heard of atom egoyan s planned feature about the west memphis three, the project has found its first star. The film is based on a true story as told in mara leveritts 2002 book of the same name, concerning three teenagers known as the west memphis three, who were convicted of killing three young boys during the satanic ritual abuse panic.
With colin firth, reese witherspoon, alessandro nivola, james hamrick. Weve already had to the court cases run down more than once in books, movies and. Along comes the new film from prolific canadian filmmaker atom egoyan, devils knot, based on the book by mara leveritt, which looks at. Adopted from mara leveritts 2002 book of the same name, the film is. Devils knot guilty of slippage the sydney morning herald. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. Directed by atom egoyan, the film presented a less controversial. I read devil s knot a long time ago and of course had to watch this movie along with the others. Reese witherspoon joins atom egoyans devils knot collider. Reese witherspoon, colin firth, dane dehaan, james hamrick, collette wolfe, stephen moyer, kevin durand, bruce greenwood, mireille enos 114 minutes there are better movies about the west memphis three than atom egoyan s devil s knot, the canadian. Egoyan does sensitive work, and this is no exception, but i think its greatest appeal is to an audience who knows nothing about this case. Id wager that almost no one seeing this movie will be ignorant of its reallife inspiration.
It was so wellpublicized that those kinds of viewers are hard to come by. Devil s knotin the electric mist available in bluray ship this item qualifies for free shipping buy online, pick up in store is currently unavailable, but this item may be available for instore purchase. Atom egoyan raises demons in devils knot the japan times. West memphis three inspire yet another film, devils knot. Atom egoyan s take on the west memphis three is a tangled mess hes no stranger to dark material but atom egoyan s take on the welldocumented murder case adds little to the. Atom egoyan s devil s knot lacks insight into case of west memphis three. Colin firth and james hamrick in a scene from devil s knot, directed by atom egoyan. Along comes the new film from prolific canadian filmmaker atom egoyan, devil s knot, based on the book by mara leveritt, which looks at some of the other theories and possibilities of what. Reese witherspoon shines as a grieving mother in the devil s knot, which is based on the reallife 1993 murders. Devil s knot atom egoyan s starry dramatization of the west memphis three case transforms a fascinating truelife tale into a. The true story of the west memphis three is a 2002 true crime book by mara leveritt, about the 1993 murders of three eightyearold children and the subsequent trials of three teenagers charged with and convicted of the crimes.
Reese witherspoon joins atom egoyans devils knot, a book adaptation and dramatization of the events surrounding the case of the west memphis three. After the release of the west memphis three from 18 years in prison, egoyan directed a movie about the case called devil s knot starring reese witherspoon and colin firth, based on a book on the case, devil s knot. Adapted by paul harris boardman and scott derrickson from mara leveritts book devil s knot. Atom egoyans devils knot attempts to tell the sad story of the three boys murdered in west memphis, arkansas in 1993. Elias koteas, dane dehaan, kevin durand, reese witherspoon, mireille enos, colin firth, atom egoyan. His last two, devil s knot, a film about the west memphis three case, and captive, a chilly thriller about a child sex ring, found few champions. Devils knot pointlessly dramatizes the west memphis three. This film does not contain any basic information that is not already covered in the documentaries paradise lost and west of memphis. The murders gained notoriety thanks to a series of documentaries, but this film is a fictionalized account based on the factual stories. Atom egoyan screenplay by paul harris boardman and scott derrickson, adapted from the mara leveritt book starring. With the aid of a fellow auschwitz survivor and a handwritten letter, an elderly man with dementia goes in search of the person he believes to be responsible for the death of his family in the death camp to kill him himself.
Devils knotin the electric mist by atom egoyan, bertrand. Devils knot, fictional revisiting of west memphis crime the new. Devils knot is a 20 american biographical crime drama film directed by atom egoyan. Its been a while since one can be super excited about a new atom egoyan film. Through his work on the case and conversations with pam hobbs witherspoon, the mother of one of the dead children, ron finds there may be more to the deaths than the authorities think, but will it be enough to contend with the beliefs of the small bible belt community. The true story of the west memphis three focuses on the facts of the 1993 murder of three eightyearold boys in west memphis crittenden county and the controversial court case that followed. A film based on the book, devils knot, was released in 20. Devils knot, out now on dvd atom egoyan s film serves up a dramatic reconstruction of events, complete with a flurry of wellmeaning hollywood stars eager to place themselves on the right. In the rush to find and convict the killers, police focus on a trio of teenagers suspected of devil worship. Atom egoyan ties a devils knot in the case of the west. Devil s knot is a 20 american biographical crime film directed by atom egoyan.
The savage murders of three young children sparks a. The film devil s knot, directed by atom egoyan and starring reese witherspoon and colin firth, was based on her book of the same name. One of the teenagers of the socalled west memphis three convicted in the case was sentenced to death, while two others were condemned to life in jail without. The true story of the west memphis three, egoyan s film has the unenviable task of trying to.
A movie of the week by atom egoyan open this photo in gallery. The film devils knot, directed by atom egoyan and starring reese witherspoon and colin firth, was based on her book of the same name. Atom egoyan s devil s knot attempts to argues that there is, but the film provides no new insight or weight to the saga of the west memphis 3. The true story of the west memphis three by mara leveritt, his next feature, the captive, starred ryan reynolds and screened in. Devils knot captures the darkness of real murder case. Based on the book by the same title, devils knot is a docudrama about the 1993 ritual murders of three eightyearold boys in west memphis, arkansas. Devils knot, fictional revisiting of west memphis crime. The story of a triple murder detailed in devils knot has been widely documented, but director atom egoyan dramatizes the haunting case and brings it to a wider audience, approaching injustice. Director atom egoyan left and colin firth on the set of devils knot.
Atom egoyan s fictional account of the west memphis three is curiously antiseptic. The film is based on a true story as told in mara leveritts 2002 book of the same name, concerning three teenagers known as the west memphis three, who were convicted of killing. That film is expected to shed more light on the case than devil s knot does, but egoyan says he isnt concerned with that aspect. Adapted by paul harris boardman and scott derrickson from mara leveritts book devils knot. Flynn and beverly aadland, who was 15 when they met, based on the book. Director atom egoyan adapts journalist mara leveritt nonfiction book to the screen in this docudrama centered on the investigation into the notorious west memphis three case previously the subject of filmmaker joe berlingers paradise lost documentaries. Devils knot dvd reese witherspoon colin firth atom. Egoyan s fascination and research dont really shed any new light on the case.
The true story of the west memphis three wikipedia. Atom egoyan revisits the story of the west memphis three. Based on mara leveritts nonfiction book, devils knot recounts the story of the three teenagers later dubbed the west memphis three, who were accused of molesting and ritually killing three younger boys in a lowermiddleclass. The film is based on a true story as told in mara leveritts 2002 book of the same name, concerning three teenagers known as the west memphis three, who were wrongly convicted for killing three young boys and subsequently sentenced to life in prison. Atom egoyan directed the 20 film adaptation, starring colin firth as ron lax and reese. The true story of the west memphis three and millions of other books are available for instant access. The true story of the west memphis three justice knot trilogy book 1 by mara leveritt 4. Because the movie, based on a book by mara leveritt, stays within the. Atom egoyan s dramatisation of the case of three men convicted of murder in 1994 is a lost. The first 20 minutes of devils knot lead you to believe that hes going to take the same approach with this movie. Devil s knot is a 20 american biographical crimedrama thriller film directed by atom egoyan. But perhaps hampered by an obligation to tell this story as respectfully as possible, the filmmaker has turned in. Theres some promise in the fact that devils knot was directed by atom egoyan, whose last great film, 1997s the sweet hereafter, dealt with a town grieving a collective loss. Centered on the investigation conducted by private detective ron lax colin firth, the devil s knot details the discovery of crucial dna.
Every now and then, for a few scattered moments, atom egoyan s devils knot becomes a atom egoyan filmbut then the movie keeps slipping away from him. Devils knot film devils knot is a 20 american biographical crime drama film directed by atom egoyan. Reese witherspoon has boarded the devil s knot, based on. Atom egoyans reconstruction of an infamous reallife atrocity throws up. The story of a triple murder detailed in devils knot has been widely documented, but director atom egoyan dramatizes the haunting case and brings it to a wider audience, approaching injustice with levelheaded calm. Devils knot paste the best music, movies, tv, books. The true story is undeniably a fascinating one, full of tragedy, anguish and scandalous injustice, yet egoyan has stripped devil s knot clean of all that and fashioned a runofthemill tv movie. Devil s knot is the dramatic retelling of the trial of the west memphis three, a trio of teenagers this film and a number of documentaries and pieces of journalism before it posits were. Why would the gifted canadian filmmaker atom egoyan choose to make devils knot, a feature film about a notorious unsolved 1993 murder case that has been exhaustively investigated in.
Egoyan already made one of the definitive portraits of grief with his film the sweet hereafter, in which an entire community is rocked by the tragic deaths of a number of kids in a schoolbus accident. We personally assess every book s quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. The true story of the west memphis three justice knot trilogy book. Starring reese witherspoon and colin firth, devil s knot is based on the true story of.
1197 783 674 806 1161 148 948 809 1158 1421 977 1003 184 164 197 1183 1468 1423 1121 1037 834 466 427 1461 809 704 1156 1162 1195 1026 839 1317 381