This film recently aired on Court TV and it's a grim true story of how California police used intimidation to attain a false confession from an innocent 14-year-old whose sister was killed. This family, the Crowes, was victimized twice, once by the killer, and then by the police who destroyed their lives. This film shows the interrogation filmed in very stark lighting where you can't even see the actors eyes. Ally Sheedy portrays the mother. A warning: this is a VERY depressing film, as the police brand Michael guilty based on the evidence that he likes to play Dungeons and Dragons with his friends. For anyone who's ever been falsely accused this is a must see. And it's interestingly relevant as the Central Park jogger case just released 5 innocent kids after 10 years in jail. How many innocent people sit in prison now falsely convicted? We'll never know the true statistics of our injustice system.

Cheryl (Ally Sheedy) and Stephen Crowe (Michael Riley) are loving parents to Michael, Shannon, and Stephanie in Escondido, California. One night, someone stabs Stephanie to death. The police is puzzled by the lack of evidence of a break-in and suspicion immediately falls on the family. Detective Baker interviews transient Richard Tuite for an unconnected issue and doesn't even consider him for the case. They isolate the surviving kids from their parents. With relentless interrogation and trickery, they gain false confessions from Michael, his friends Joshua Treadway and Aaron Houser.

Based on the real murder in 1998, this TV movie is at a lower level. It doesn't have the production value to be truly compelling or intense. It would be melodramatic if there isn't a real story behind it. The interrogations are tough to watch due to their inherit unbalanced dynamics. They also drag on for too long. In a way, the audience is stuck inside the room along with Michael and that has some benefits. It shows how a confession could be coerced. It's an uncomfortable watch. The legal wrangling after that in the second half works well enough.

Don't misunderstand my title. This isn't a horror movie - at least not in the sense of genre. But it is a truly frightening true story about the abuse of police power.

Basically, the story is quite simple. 12 year old Stephanie Crowe is brutally murdered in her own home in Escondido, California while her family sleeps. Without any real evidence, the police decide that her 14 year old brother Michael must be guilty, they ignore evidence pointing to another suspect and they coerce a confession from him after two days of non-stop questioning, filled with lies about what they supposedly "know," threats if he won't confess and promises of help if he will. Young Michael then becomes the object of a relentless prosecution by the District Attorney, who finally admits that there is no direct evidence but won't give up the case, instead dismissing it "without prejudice," thus leaving possible future prosecution hanging over Michael's head, and leaving the viewer wondering what's going to happen to this boy, until the final decision is revealed at the end.

This is truly an excellent, gripping movie. It takes a bit of getting into in the first few minutes, but once you're into it you're definitely hooked. Superb performances come from Ally Sheedy and Michael Riley as Michael's parents and - I'll use the phrase again - there's a positively frightening performance from John Bourgeois as Detective Claytor. Not to be overlooked is young Mark Rendall's performance as Michael. He brilliantly portrayed the fear and hopelessness this young boy must have felt. At times I thought he came across as a bit too mature in his portrayal, but, then again, maybe that was Michael.

This isn't a particularly well known movie, but everyone should see it.

9/10