Based on the true story of Colin Warner who was wrongfully convicted of murder and spent more than 20 years in jail and his friend Carl King who devoted himself to prove Colin's innocence Crown Heights is a powerful film that shows how the system fails the people who need it the most. Having experience with making documentaries Matt Ruskin knows how to not make the actors be melodramatic and yet succeeds to make the viewers on the verge of tears. Lakeith Stanfield is excellent as Colin portraying the teenage confusion to the matured man. The focus of the film is mostly given to the failing judiciary and how it affects the people. There have been films dealing with such subjects before but the significance of such films has not diminished, these type of subjects are needed from time to time as a reminder about the world we live in.

Movies have many techniques for keeping you interested and making the time go fast. A moving camera, attractive sets and actors speaking witty lines, and a pleasing score will make the 90 minutes or so of a movie fly. Contrariwise, when a moviemaker wishes to instill a sense of oppression, any of these elements can be left out.

This is a movie based on a real event. In 1980, a black man in that troubled Brooklyn neighborhood was found guilty of second degree murder and sentenced to 15-to-life as the driver in a drive-by shooting. The trouble is, he didn't do it; he was busy stealing and running over someone else at the time.

This movie recounts the twenty-one-year struggle by him and his brother to get him freed. And during the period of his incarceration, the deadening effect of that imprisonment is made apparent by leaving out all those techniques that would serve to make the lives of the people in this movie more interesting.

The trouble is that the audience is also subject to this oppressive and boring tedium. As a result, this 94-minute feature, which might have made an excellent documentary, fails in the first duty of any piece of art: to engage and, yes, entertain its audience. All we learn is that people make mistakes and take a long time to figure things out.

No pun intended with the summary line, but I reckon you'll understand what I am aiming for with it. I had no idea what this would be about, but it becomes evident quite early one where this is heading. Of course some may even be aware of the real life occurance of this ... but even if you don't know about it, I am fairly certain you will be able to guess.

The justice system is so weak - or at least easy to manipulate! Even by really bad prosecutions! Being right and being treated right are two different shoes. Unfortunately even without having commited a crime, some people are likely to be punished for ... being different! A powerful movie, that is also quite harrowing. Not for everyone for many reasons! Either because it isn't entertainemnt you'll be served here or because you may feel differently than what the movie is telling you. The latter would not be a moral stand point I would agree with you on.

All that aside, amazing performances and a really tough prison drama ... with straining effects to everyone involved ...