★★☆☆☆Based on the previously well-documented true story of the West Memphis Three, Canadian director Atom Egoyan's Devil's Knot (2013) attempts to dramatise Mara Leveritt's novelisation of the same name. The result is a melodramatic, calculable and subsequently dull procedural that makes you baffled by its inertness. When three boys are found brutally murdered in an area ominously known as the "Devil's Den", locals - including one of the boys' mother's Pam Hobbs (Reese Witherspoon) - are left paralysed. Three teenagers, Damien (James Hamrick), Jessie (Kristopher Higgins) and Jason (Seth Meriwether), are soon charged as accused members of this sinister satanic cult.
- 6/18/2014
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Director: Atom Egoyan; Screenwriters: Paul Harris Boardman, Scott Derrickson; Starring: Colin Firth, Reese Witherspoon, Kevin Durand, Stephen Moyer, Dane DeHaan; Running time: 114 mins; Certificate: 15
"If these boys are innocent, would you want three more families to lose their children too?"
Based on a compelling true tale of murder and moral corruption that shocked America almost as much as a Janet Jackson nipslip, The Devil's Knot should have proven a perfect fit between auteur and subject matter. Yet the themes of loss and familial tragedy that Atom Egoyan explored so effectively in The Sweet Hereafter are squandered as The Devil's Knot veers awkwardly between docudrama realism and aesthetic expressionism.
Egoyan's film charts the horrific murders in 1993 of three young boys in Arkansas and the subsequent arrest of three teenagers, whose interest in Satanism and heavy metal appears to compel the authorities into labeling them guilty. The staggering inconsistencies in the prosecution's...
"If these boys are innocent, would you want three more families to lose their children too?"
Based on a compelling true tale of murder and moral corruption that shocked America almost as much as a Janet Jackson nipslip, The Devil's Knot should have proven a perfect fit between auteur and subject matter. Yet the themes of loss and familial tragedy that Atom Egoyan explored so effectively in The Sweet Hereafter are squandered as The Devil's Knot veers awkwardly between docudrama realism and aesthetic expressionism.
Egoyan's film charts the horrific murders in 1993 of three young boys in Arkansas and the subsequent arrest of three teenagers, whose interest in Satanism and heavy metal appears to compel the authorities into labeling them guilty. The staggering inconsistencies in the prosecution's...
- 6/14/2014
- Digital Spy
The story of the West Memphis Three is brought to the screen in unsatisying fashion by director Atom Egoyan...
The Devil's Knot is a film with a lot of actors acting in it. It's not something we'd ordinarily mention first up in a review, save for the fact that here, you simply can't help but notice it. Some of the acting is really rather good, but, after a horrific, impactful opening 20 minutes, you're never left in any doubt that this is a dramatic take on a thoroughly nasty real life collection of events.
For the film dramatises the West Memphis Three story - so hauntingly dealt with in the likes of Paradise Lost and West Of Memphis - which saw three boys brutally murdered, and the clamour for justice overtaken by a clamour for legal retribution.
Director Atom Egoyan makes no attempt to obscure which side of the story he sits on,...
The Devil's Knot is a film with a lot of actors acting in it. It's not something we'd ordinarily mention first up in a review, save for the fact that here, you simply can't help but notice it. Some of the acting is really rather good, but, after a horrific, impactful opening 20 minutes, you're never left in any doubt that this is a dramatic take on a thoroughly nasty real life collection of events.
For the film dramatises the West Memphis Three story - so hauntingly dealt with in the likes of Paradise Lost and West Of Memphis - which saw three boys brutally murdered, and the clamour for justice overtaken by a clamour for legal retribution.
Director Atom Egoyan makes no attempt to obscure which side of the story he sits on,...
- 6/13/2014
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
The 1993 murders of three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, has been explored time and time again, in documentaries like HBO’s Paradise Lost trilogy and Peter Jackson’s West of Memphis, but pop culture can’t seem to leave the sensational case alone. The question of whether Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, Jr. were actually guilty of the savage crimes seems to destined never to be definitively answered, though most films about the case have emphasized how tenuous links between the trio and the murders actually were.
Devil’s Knot, Atom Egoyan’s dramatization of the investigation and subsequent trials, features bankable Hollywood stars like Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon, and that star power makes this retelling more likely to appeal to the masses than the documentary coverage. That’s why it’s so unfortunate that Egoyan never manages to do right by his powerful source material.
Devil’s Knot, Atom Egoyan’s dramatization of the investigation and subsequent trials, features bankable Hollywood stars like Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon, and that star power makes this retelling more likely to appeal to the masses than the documentary coverage. That’s why it’s so unfortunate that Egoyan never manages to do right by his powerful source material.
- 5/10/2014
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
As the tagline from the latest Atom Egoyan film, Devil's Knot (review), states, “They say the crimes were satanic. The truth may be scarier.” Based on the convictions of the men accused of the "West Memphis Three" murders, it focuses on the families and legal aspects of the case.
We recently chatted with director Egoyan about how he became involved in the project, which describes how Jessie Misskelley, Jr., Jason Baldwin, and Damien Echols (aka the West Memphis Three) were exonerated and released after serving nearly 20 years in prison.
He also touched on why he chose to focus on some lesser known principals from the case, the challenges of bringing this story to the screen, what he learned about the U.S. justice system while making the film, and more.
Dread Central: So, how did you first become aware of the West Memphis Three story, and what was it about...
We recently chatted with director Egoyan about how he became involved in the project, which describes how Jessie Misskelley, Jr., Jason Baldwin, and Damien Echols (aka the West Memphis Three) were exonerated and released after serving nearly 20 years in prison.
He also touched on why he chose to focus on some lesser known principals from the case, the challenges of bringing this story to the screen, what he learned about the U.S. justice system while making the film, and more.
Dread Central: So, how did you first become aware of the West Memphis Three story, and what was it about...
- 5/6/2014
- by Staci Layne Wilson
- DreadCentral.com
The men known as the West Memphis Three were convicted as teenagers in 1994 of the heinous murders of three little boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. Jason Baldwin, who’s interviewed here, was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Jessie Misskelley, Jr., received a sentence of life imprisonment plus two 20-year sentences, and the so-called ringleader, Damien Echols, was given the death penalty.
During the trial the prosecution declared that the children were slain as part of a Satanic ritual. A number of documentaries have been based on the case, and celebrities, filmmakers, and musicians have spoken out in the belief that they are innocent. Finally, in 2010, the trio were released after striking an unusual legal deal.
And now, there’s a Hollywood movie, Devil's Knot (review). It’s directed by Atom Egoyan and stars Academy Award winners Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon.
Dread Central: One wonders… as someone who lived the story,...
Jessie Misskelley, Jr., received a sentence of life imprisonment plus two 20-year sentences, and the so-called ringleader, Damien Echols, was given the death penalty.
During the trial the prosecution declared that the children were slain as part of a Satanic ritual. A number of documentaries have been based on the case, and celebrities, filmmakers, and musicians have spoken out in the belief that they are innocent. Finally, in 2010, the trio were released after striking an unusual legal deal.
And now, there’s a Hollywood movie, Devil's Knot (review). It’s directed by Atom Egoyan and stars Academy Award winners Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon.
Dread Central: One wonders… as someone who lived the story,...
- 5/5/2014
- by Staci Layne Wilson
- DreadCentral.com
Image Entertainment is bringing The Devil's Knot to us on May 9th, and right now we have several new images for you cats with a penchant for true crime cases. Guilty? Innocent? Give us your take on who committed these heinous crimes.
Synopsis:
From Academy Award nominated director Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter) and starring Academy Award winner Colin Firth (The King's Speech) and Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line), comes the true story of a crime that would grip a nation for almost two decades and that continues to be one of the most high-profile trials of all time. Based on the bestseller by Mara Leveritt, Devil's Knot recounts the trial and conviction of teenagers Damien Echols; Jessie Misskelley, Jr.; and Jason Baldwin in the savage murder of three 8-year-old boys in the small town of West Memphis, Arkansas, in 1993.
Dubbed the so-called "West Memphis Three," the defendants,...
Synopsis:
From Academy Award nominated director Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter) and starring Academy Award winner Colin Firth (The King's Speech) and Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line), comes the true story of a crime that would grip a nation for almost two decades and that continues to be one of the most high-profile trials of all time. Based on the bestseller by Mara Leveritt, Devil's Knot recounts the trial and conviction of teenagers Damien Echols; Jessie Misskelley, Jr.; and Jason Baldwin in the savage murder of three 8-year-old boys in the small town of West Memphis, Arkansas, in 1993.
Dubbed the so-called "West Memphis Three," the defendants,...
- 3/18/2014
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
This might be tough movie to watch. Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth star in the "Devil's Knot" based off of Mara Leveritt's book, by the same title, which follows the true story of the infamous West Memphis Three. In 1993, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr. were convicted of killing three young boys in Arkansas as part of a satanic ritual. The teens later became known as the West Memphis Three ... but were eventually released after being wrongly charged in 2011. In the flick, Reese stars as the grieving mother, Pam Hobbs, who's 8-year-old son was one of the mysteriously murdered boys. Firth plays the private investigator, Ron Lax, who's not convinced that teenagers were responsible for the brutal crimes. There's been a ton of controversy around the trial, and stars like Peter Jackson, Natalie Maines and Johnny Depp are just a few of the celebs who've involved themselves in the case,...
- 3/11/2014
- by tooFab Staff
- TooFab
This is the second trailer for the Atom Egoyan-directed film The Devil's Knot, which stars Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon. The movie tells the true story Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, who were wrongly convicted for the May 1993 killings of three 8-year-old boys from West Memphis, Ark. 18 years later they were finally released from prison. I've been following their story for years. There have been a series of documentaries made about this terrible tragedy, but a lot more people will hear about it with the release of this movie.
The film also stars Dane DeHaan, Mireille Enos, Bruce Greenwood, Elias Koteas, Stephen Moyer, and Amy Ryan. Here's the detailed synopsis.
Atom Egoyan dramatizes the fallout from the notorious 1993 West Memphis murders, focusing on the grieving mother (Reese Witherspoon) of one of the murdered boys as she grows increasingly troubled by the lynch-mob fever that grips the town.
The film also stars Dane DeHaan, Mireille Enos, Bruce Greenwood, Elias Koteas, Stephen Moyer, and Amy Ryan. Here's the detailed synopsis.
Atom Egoyan dramatizes the fallout from the notorious 1993 West Memphis murders, focusing on the grieving mother (Reese Witherspoon) of one of the murdered boys as she grows increasingly troubled by the lynch-mob fever that grips the town.
- 3/11/2014
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Image Entertainment is bringing The Devil's Knot to us on May 9th, and right now we have the full trailer for you cats with a penchant for true crime cases. Lord knows they rarely come as compelling as the story surrounding the West Memphis 3.
Synopsis:
From Academy Award nominated director Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter) and starring Academy Award winner Colin Firth (The King's Speech) and Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line), comes the true story of a crime that would grip a nation for almost two decades and that continues to be one of the most high-profile trials of all time. Based on the bestseller by Mara Leveritt, Devil's Knot recounts the trial and conviction of teenagers Damien Echols; Jessie Misskelley, Jr.; and Jason Baldwin in the savage murder of three 8-year-old boys in the small town of West Memphis, Arkansas, in 1993.
Dubbed the so-called "West Memphis Three,...
Synopsis:
From Academy Award nominated director Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter) and starring Academy Award winner Colin Firth (The King's Speech) and Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line), comes the true story of a crime that would grip a nation for almost two decades and that continues to be one of the most high-profile trials of all time. Based on the bestseller by Mara Leveritt, Devil's Knot recounts the trial and conviction of teenagers Damien Echols; Jessie Misskelley, Jr.; and Jason Baldwin in the savage murder of three 8-year-old boys in the small town of West Memphis, Arkansas, in 1993.
Dubbed the so-called "West Memphis Three,...
- 3/11/2014
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Director Atom Egoyan’s Devil’s Knot aims to bring the infamous true story of the West Memphis Three to the big screen. Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon lead a star-studded cast in the upcoming crime drama based on the brutal murders of three young boys in Arkansas in 1993, and the trial of three teenagers accused of killing the children as part of a satanic ritual.
The new trailer for the upcoming crime drama heavily features Firth as private investigator Ron Lax, who’s not entirely convinced the three teenagers convicted of murder are guilty, and Witherspoon as Pam Hobbs,...
The new trailer for the upcoming crime drama heavily features Firth as private investigator Ron Lax, who’s not entirely convinced the three teenagers convicted of murder are guilty, and Witherspoon as Pam Hobbs,...
- 3/10/2014
- by Pamela Gocobachi
- EW - Inside Movies
Yesterday we got a look at the official poster for Devil's Knot, and today we have the first trailer to share. Image is releasing the film in the Us sometime in 2014; stay tuned for an exact date.
Synopsis:
From Academy Award nominated director Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter) and starring Academy Award winner Colin Firth (The King's Speech) and Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line), comes the true story of a crime that would grip a nation for almost two decades and that continues to be one of the most high-profile trials of all time.
Based on the bestseller by Mara Leveritt, Devil's Knot recounts the trial and conviction of teenagers Damien Echols; Jessie Misskelley, Jr.; and Jason Baldwin in the savage murder of three 8-year-old boys in the small town of West Memphis, Arkansas, in 1993.
Dubbed the so-called "West Memphis Three," the defendants, each of them a social outsider,...
Synopsis:
From Academy Award nominated director Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter) and starring Academy Award winner Colin Firth (The King's Speech) and Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line), comes the true story of a crime that would grip a nation for almost two decades and that continues to be one of the most high-profile trials of all time.
Based on the bestseller by Mara Leveritt, Devil's Knot recounts the trial and conviction of teenagers Damien Echols; Jessie Misskelley, Jr.; and Jason Baldwin in the savage murder of three 8-year-old boys in the small town of West Memphis, Arkansas, in 1993.
Dubbed the so-called "West Memphis Three," the defendants, each of them a social outsider,...
- 11/20/2013
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
The first trailer has been released for the West Memphis Three film, Devil's Knot. The movie tells the true story Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, who were wrongly convicted for the May 1993 killings of three 8-year-old boys from West Memphis, Ark. 18 years later they were finally released from prison. I've been following their story for years. There has been a series of documentaries made about the story, and now we have this feature film.
The movie was directed by Atom Egoyan, and it stars Colin Firth, Reese Witherspoon, Dane DeHaan, Mireille Enos, Bruce Greenwood, Elias Koteas, Stephen Moyer, and Amy Ryan. The movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival where it was met with mixed reviews, but it looks to me like it's going to be a solid film. Here's the detailed synopsis.
Atom Egoyan dramatizes the fallout from the notorious 1993 West Memphis murders, focusing on the...
The movie was directed by Atom Egoyan, and it stars Colin Firth, Reese Witherspoon, Dane DeHaan, Mireille Enos, Bruce Greenwood, Elias Koteas, Stephen Moyer, and Amy Ryan. The movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival where it was met with mixed reviews, but it looks to me like it's going to be a solid film. Here's the detailed synopsis.
Atom Egoyan dramatizes the fallout from the notorious 1993 West Memphis murders, focusing on the...
- 11/20/2013
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Here is first trailer for Atom Egoyan’s West Memphis Three drama Devil’s Knot starring Reese Witherspoon as Pamela Hobbs, mother of Stevie Branch, one of the victims in the case. Colin Firth is the private investigator who worked for the accused. Devil’s Knot follows the true story of the case in which three teenagers were wrongfully charged with murdering three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas in the 1990s. Check out the Wiki on this one.
The film got some pretty harsh reviews after it premiered at Tiff, I would proceed with caution as this seemed like a rushed piece of work after the West Memphis Three *spoiler alert* were released with ten-year suspended sentences, having served 18 years and 78 days in prison.
The story is fascinating and has been told in very great detail in the documentaries Paradise Lost and more recently West of Memphis. Check out those docs instead,...
The film got some pretty harsh reviews after it premiered at Tiff, I would proceed with caution as this seemed like a rushed piece of work after the West Memphis Three *spoiler alert* were released with ten-year suspended sentences, having served 18 years and 78 days in prison.
The story is fascinating and has been told in very great detail in the documentaries Paradise Lost and more recently West of Memphis. Check out those docs instead,...
- 11/20/2013
- by Graham McMorrow
- City of Films
Image Entertainment is bringing The Devil's Knot to us in 2014, and while we wait they've gone ahead and supplied us with a poster to help keep the movie in our consciousness for just a little while longer.
Although I have to wonder how many more West Memphis Three stories we need, I have to admit I am interested in seeing this - if only because of the great talent involved in front of and behind the camera.
Synopsis:
From Academy Award nominated director Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter) and starring Academy Award winner Colin Firth (The King's Speech) and Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line), comes the true story of a crime that would grip a nation for almost two decades and that continues to be one of the most high-profile trials of all time. Based on the bestseller by Mara Leveritt, Devil's Knot recounts the trial and...
Although I have to wonder how many more West Memphis Three stories we need, I have to admit I am interested in seeing this - if only because of the great talent involved in front of and behind the camera.
Synopsis:
From Academy Award nominated director Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter) and starring Academy Award winner Colin Firth (The King's Speech) and Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line), comes the true story of a crime that would grip a nation for almost two decades and that continues to be one of the most high-profile trials of all time. Based on the bestseller by Mara Leveritt, Devil's Knot recounts the trial and...
- 11/20/2013
- by Matt Serafini
- DreadCentral.com
While we all wait patiently here in the States for Image Entertainment to release The Devil's Knot, the flick is currently at Afm looking for foreign sales to sweep it up. As a result a new synopsis is here that sheds a bit more light on the proceedings.
Don't ever say we're not thorough.
Synopsis:
From Academy Award nominated director Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter) and starring Academy Award winner Colin Firth (The King's Speech) and Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line), comes the true story of a crime that would grip a nation for almost two decades and that continues to be one of the most high-profile trials of all time. Based on the bestseller by Mara Leveritt, Devil's Knot recounts the trial and conviction of teenagers Damien Echols; Jessie Misskelley, Jr.; and Jason Baldwin in the savage murder of three 8-year-old boys in the small town of West Memphis,...
Don't ever say we're not thorough.
Synopsis:
From Academy Award nominated director Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter) and starring Academy Award winner Colin Firth (The King's Speech) and Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line), comes the true story of a crime that would grip a nation for almost two decades and that continues to be one of the most high-profile trials of all time. Based on the bestseller by Mara Leveritt, Devil's Knot recounts the trial and conviction of teenagers Damien Echols; Jessie Misskelley, Jr.; and Jason Baldwin in the savage murder of three 8-year-old boys in the small town of West Memphis,...
- 11/7/2013
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Variety is reporting that Image Entertainment has scooped up the distribution rights to Atom Egoyan’s crime thriller Devil’s Knot. Image, a division of Maryland-based Rlj Entertainment, plans to release the film next year in the second quarter.
Synopsis:
Worldview Entertainment's dramatic crime thriller Devil's Knot, filmed in the greater Atlanta, Georgia, area under the direction of Atom Egoyan, stars Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth with a screenplay by Paul Harris Boardman and Scott Derrickson. Elizabeth Fowler, Richard Saperstein, and Clark Peterson produced Devil’s Knot alongside Worldview Entertainment CEO Christopher Woodrow. Worldview’s Molly Conners, Sarah Johnson Redlich, Maria Cestone, and Hoyt David Morgan executive produced alongside actual defendants Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, Jr. Devil’s Knot is a Fowler-Saperstein-Peterson Production.
Following the release from prison of the West Memphis Three, after nearly 20 years of incarceration, Hollywood was abuzz with plans to develop the teen trio's...
Synopsis:
Worldview Entertainment's dramatic crime thriller Devil's Knot, filmed in the greater Atlanta, Georgia, area under the direction of Atom Egoyan, stars Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth with a screenplay by Paul Harris Boardman and Scott Derrickson. Elizabeth Fowler, Richard Saperstein, and Clark Peterson produced Devil’s Knot alongside Worldview Entertainment CEO Christopher Woodrow. Worldview’s Molly Conners, Sarah Johnson Redlich, Maria Cestone, and Hoyt David Morgan executive produced alongside actual defendants Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, Jr. Devil’s Knot is a Fowler-Saperstein-Peterson Production.
Following the release from prison of the West Memphis Three, after nearly 20 years of incarceration, Hollywood was abuzz with plans to develop the teen trio's...
- 10/7/2013
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Devil’s Knot, a docudrama about the tangled and still-loaded West Memphis Three case, directed by Atom Egoyan, is for the most part a tense and absorbing movie. It’s the intelligent, detail-jammed, well-executed version of what we used to call “a TV movie” — a phrase you can’t really use anymore, since it once connoted a certain second-rate, connect-the-dots Madame Tussauds biopic quality that’s become irrelevant in the age of HBO. (There was never a “TV movie” like Behind the Candelabra or Recount.) Yet that term also summoned up the basic, childlike voyeuristic appeal of seeing interesting actors...
- 9/13/2013
- by Owen Gleiberman
- EW - Inside Movies
Four highly publicized documentaries in, it should go without saying that the West Memphis Three ordeal has taken up its fair share of screentime. The necessity for a narrative feature is a questionable one, and despite the potential promise of Atom Egoyan’s Devil’s Knot, the film ultimately stands as a prime example why the story shouldn’t be adapted into a narrative feature – at least not a narrative feature this lazy and uninteresting as this one. Even with a cast that includes Reese Witherspoon, Colin Firth, Kevin Durand, Dane DeHaan, Bruce Greenwood, Amy Ryan, and Mireille Enos, Egoyan has delivered one of the worst big screen takes on a true story of this magnitude in quite some time, an eye-popping failure of both execution and emotion. Egoyan fails to engage with not only his audience but also the actual material he’s attempting to portray on screen, making Devil’s Knot one of the year...
- 9/10/2013
- by Kate Erbland
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Where the Truth Weakly Lies; West Memphis Less Effective in Non-Docu Treatment
Atom Egoyan has carved a career out of films focused on misunderstood and alienated outsiders, whose personal truths are often murky. The case of the infamous West Memphis Three (exhaustively explored in a number of documentaries, including last year’s festival selection “West of Memphis“) would naturally be a draw for Egoyan thematically. However, instead of expounding on where the truth lies (if you will), this somewhat fictionalized narrative remains dead in the turgid water.
Based in part on Mara Leveritt’s case study ‘Devil’s Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three’, the film follows private investigator Ron Lax (Colin Firth) and his attempt to uncover the questionable hidden pieces in the local Memphis Arkansas Police’s case against Damien Echols (James Hamrick), Jessie Misskelley Jr. (Kristopher Higgins) and Jason Baldwin (Seth Meriwether), the three...
Atom Egoyan has carved a career out of films focused on misunderstood and alienated outsiders, whose personal truths are often murky. The case of the infamous West Memphis Three (exhaustively explored in a number of documentaries, including last year’s festival selection “West of Memphis“) would naturally be a draw for Egoyan thematically. However, instead of expounding on where the truth lies (if you will), this somewhat fictionalized narrative remains dead in the turgid water.
Based in part on Mara Leveritt’s case study ‘Devil’s Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three’, the film follows private investigator Ron Lax (Colin Firth) and his attempt to uncover the questionable hidden pieces in the local Memphis Arkansas Police’s case against Damien Echols (James Hamrick), Jessie Misskelley Jr. (Kristopher Higgins) and Jason Baldwin (Seth Meriwether), the three...
- 9/9/2013
- by Leora Heilbronn
- IONCINEMA.com
An appearance at the Toronto Film Festival can sometimes mean big things for a film that heads into the fest without a distributor. Especially films that are hotly anticipated and are stacked with as much talent as Devil's Knot is for example. Directed by Atom Egoyan and starring Reese Witherspoon, Colin Firth, Kevin Durand, Bruce Greenwood, Mireille Enos, Dane DeHaan and Stephen Moyer, this film based on the story of the West Memphis Three will certainly be one to watch out for. Telling the story of the infamous killing of three children in a small Arkansas town, a story that has been told over the last several years in documentaries such as 2012's West of Memphis and the Oscar-nominated Paradise Lost. The police charge and convict three teens, aka the West Memphis Three, for committing the murders during an alleged satanic ritual, but a mother and investigator suspect that the truth may be even worse.
- 7/24/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The first still featuring Reese Witherspoon ('Cruel Intentions') in the role of Pam Hobbs has been revealed by the Hollywood Reporter. The pic comes direct from Worldview Entertainment's new crime thriller 'The Devil's Knot' based upon the real life murders and wrongful imprisonment of the West Memphis Three. The new still features Witherspoon and Alessandro Nivola ('Jurassic Park 3') and the movie also stars Colin Firth ('The King's Speech') as private investigator Ron Lax. The project is due for release later this year and was helmed by Atom Egoyan who directs from a script penned by Paul Harris Boardman ('The Exorcism of Emily Rose') and Scott Derrickson. Head below to check out the still....
- 5/22/2013
- Horror Asylum
The first still from the true-crime tale Devil's Knot, which is based on the tragedy surrounding the now freed West Memphis Three, is here, and it offers your first look at Reese Witherspoon as Pam Hobbs, the mother of Steve Branch, one of the three children savagely murdered in Arkansas in 1993.
Synopsis:
Worldview Entertainment's dramatic crime thriller Devil's Knot, filmed in the greater Atlanta, Georgia, area under the direction of Atom Egoyan, stars Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth with a screenplay by Paul Harris Boardman and Scott Derrickson. Elizabeth Fowler, Richard Saperstein, and Clark Peterson produced Devil’s Knot alongside Worldview Entertainment CEO Christopher Woodrow. Worldview’s Molly Conners, Sarah Johnson Redlich, Maria Cestone, and Hoyt David Morgan executive produced alongside actual defendants Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, Jr. Devil’s Knot is a Fowler-Saperstein-Peterson Production.
Following the release from prison of the West Memphis Three, after nearly 20 years of incarceration,...
Synopsis:
Worldview Entertainment's dramatic crime thriller Devil's Knot, filmed in the greater Atlanta, Georgia, area under the direction of Atom Egoyan, stars Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth with a screenplay by Paul Harris Boardman and Scott Derrickson. Elizabeth Fowler, Richard Saperstein, and Clark Peterson produced Devil’s Knot alongside Worldview Entertainment CEO Christopher Woodrow. Worldview’s Molly Conners, Sarah Johnson Redlich, Maria Cestone, and Hoyt David Morgan executive produced alongside actual defendants Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, Jr. Devil’s Knot is a Fowler-Saperstein-Peterson Production.
Following the release from prison of the West Memphis Three, after nearly 20 years of incarceration,...
- 5/22/2013
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
With the Cannes Film Festival nearing the finishing stretch, the independent film business is turning its attention to the fall festival circuit. One title that’s likely to make an appearance is Atom Egoyan’s much-anticipated Devil’s Knot, loosely based on Mara Leveritt’s 2002 nonfiction book about the infamous West Memphis Three case. Photos: Radiant 'X-Men' Star Fan Bingbing Honored at Glittery Cannes Fest From Worldview Entertainment, the crime thriller stars Reese Witherspoon as Pam Hobbs, the mother of Steve Branch, one of the three children savagely murdered in Arkansas in 1993. Alessandro Nivola plays Terry Hobbs, her husband and
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- 5/21/2013
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Devils’ Knot
Director: Atom Egoyan
Writer(s): Paul Harris Boardman and Scott Derrickson
Producer(s): Boardman, Elizabeth Fowler, Clark Peterson, Richard Saperstein, Christopher Woodrow
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Colin Firth, Dane DeHaan, Kevin Durand, Bruce Greenwood, Elias Koteas, Stephen Moyer, Mireille Enos, Alessandro Nivola, Amy Ryan
Do we really need another feature based on the West Memphis Three. The short answer is: Yes. Does Atom Egoyan need a career relaunch? The answer is once again yes. His last great film was 1997′s The Sweet Hereafter.
Gist: Penned by Paul Harris Boardman and Scott Derrickson and based on Mara Leveritt’s Devil’s Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three, Reese Witherspoon stars as Pam Hobbs, the intrepid mother of murder victim Stevie Hobbs, and Colin Firth plays private investigator Ron Lax, whose tireless efforts uncovered troubling details about the case ultimately led...
Director: Atom Egoyan
Writer(s): Paul Harris Boardman and Scott Derrickson
Producer(s): Boardman, Elizabeth Fowler, Clark Peterson, Richard Saperstein, Christopher Woodrow
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Colin Firth, Dane DeHaan, Kevin Durand, Bruce Greenwood, Elias Koteas, Stephen Moyer, Mireille Enos, Alessandro Nivola, Amy Ryan
Do we really need another feature based on the West Memphis Three. The short answer is: Yes. Does Atom Egoyan need a career relaunch? The answer is once again yes. His last great film was 1997′s The Sweet Hereafter.
Gist: Penned by Paul Harris Boardman and Scott Derrickson and based on Mara Leveritt’s Devil’s Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three, Reese Witherspoon stars as Pam Hobbs, the intrepid mother of murder victim Stevie Hobbs, and Colin Firth plays private investigator Ron Lax, whose tireless efforts uncovered troubling details about the case ultimately led...
- 1/14/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
On June 3rd, 1993, three teenagers from West Memphis, Arkansas were arrested for the murders of three eight year old boys. Despite their innocence, and a complete lack of evidence, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley became targets for the police investigation, and eventually convicted for the brutal slayings of Christopher Byers, Steven Branch and Michael Moore.
18 years later, Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley were finally released from prison. With his newly found freedom, Damien Echols (along with his wife Lorri Davis and supporters of the West Memphis Three) is determined to find the person behind the murders, and finally gain closure. Recently, at a small press conference in Beverly Hills, California, Wamg got the chance to speak with Damien Echols, his wife Lorri Davis, and Director Amy Berg about their new documentary that follows Damien’s fight to save his own life, and their search for the truth. You can read the complete transcript below.
18 years later, Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley were finally released from prison. With his newly found freedom, Damien Echols (along with his wife Lorri Davis and supporters of the West Memphis Three) is determined to find the person behind the murders, and finally gain closure. Recently, at a small press conference in Beverly Hills, California, Wamg got the chance to speak with Damien Echols, his wife Lorri Davis, and Director Amy Berg about their new documentary that follows Damien’s fight to save his own life, and their search for the truth. You can read the complete transcript below.
- 12/27/2012
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
West of Memphis, a powerful new Peter Jackson documentary, charts the ongoing fight for justice for three men wrongly convicted as child killers
After his release from prison, Damien Echols found the simplest things hardest. "For 18 years I hadn't walked without chains," he says, "so when I came out I would trip over my feet. It took time just to stop falling over the kerb." He is calling from New York, but still speaks with the accent of the American south – the place where until last year he spent his whole life, half of it jailed as a child killer.
The facts are a tangle of names and dates. On 6 May 1993, the naked, mutilated bodies of three eight-year-old boys – Stevie Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers – were found in a water-filled ditch in the Bible belt town of West Memphis, Arkansas. By the following March, three local teenagers had been convicted of the crimes – Echols,...
After his release from prison, Damien Echols found the simplest things hardest. "For 18 years I hadn't walked without chains," he says, "so when I came out I would trip over my feet. It took time just to stop falling over the kerb." He is calling from New York, but still speaks with the accent of the American south – the place where until last year he spent his whole life, half of it jailed as a child killer.
The facts are a tangle of names and dates. On 6 May 1993, the naked, mutilated bodies of three eight-year-old boys – Stevie Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers – were found in a water-filled ditch in the Bible belt town of West Memphis, Arkansas. By the following March, three local teenagers had been convicted of the crimes – Echols,...
- 12/21/2012
- by Danny Leigh
- The Guardian - Film News
Atom Egoyan has been invited to Sundance as a filmmaker Next of Kin (Sundance ’87), Exotica (Sundance ’95), producer, juror and the list goes on, but the chances are less than likely that he shows up with his latest — as it comes across more like a Tiff, award season title. So why include a completed project that has long been in the works and whose relevance might be in question because of the intense film treatments it has received from the docu world with the Paradise Lost trilogy and West of Memphis? Simple. I’m thinking that the pro-active fest would want a narrative feature that not only continues this discussion but might contribute to the current aftermath a la The Thin Blue Line. Devil’s Knot has heavyweights Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth are joined by Alessandro Nivola, Amy Ryan, Matt Letscher, Michael Gladis, Stephen Moyer, Rex Linn and Bruce Greenwood.
- 11/19/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
With the 2012 American Film Market now officially over, we have a few odds and ends of sales art and other information to share, and first up is an early look at Dimension Films' Devil's Knot along with the official synopsis.
Synopsis:
From Academy Award nominated director Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter) and starring Oscar winners Colin Firth (The King's Speech) and Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line), comes the true story of a crime that would grip a nation for almost two decades and that continues to be one of the most high-profile trials of all time.
Based on the bestseller by Mara Leveritt, Devil's Knot recounts the trial and conviction of teenagers Damien Echols (James Hamrick), Jessie Misskelley, Jr. (Kristopher Higgins), and Jason Baldwin (Seth Meriwether) for the savage murder of three, eight-year-old boys in the small town of West Memphis, Arkansas, in 1993. Dubbed the so-called "West Memphis Three,...
Synopsis:
From Academy Award nominated director Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter) and starring Oscar winners Colin Firth (The King's Speech) and Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line), comes the true story of a crime that would grip a nation for almost two decades and that continues to be one of the most high-profile trials of all time.
Based on the bestseller by Mara Leveritt, Devil's Knot recounts the trial and conviction of teenagers Damien Echols (James Hamrick), Jessie Misskelley, Jr. (Kristopher Higgins), and Jason Baldwin (Seth Meriwether) for the savage murder of three, eight-year-old boys in the small town of West Memphis, Arkansas, in 1993. Dubbed the so-called "West Memphis Three,...
- 11/9/2012
- by The Woman In Black
- DreadCentral.com
Ever since the West Memphis Three were freed from prison last summer by entering Alford pleas, there have been a few different groups scrambling to retell their story on the big screen. Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky already followed the events quite exhaustively with their three Paradise Lost documentaries, but now that there is a definitive conclusion, at least three more adaptations have cropped up. Peter Jackson produced a documentary called West of Memphis that premiered at Sundance earlier this year, and there are now two competing fictional features in development: one directed by Atom Egoyan and the other apparently being produced by Johnny Depp. Egoyan's film, entitled The Devil's Knot, will likely be the first one out of the gate, and this week they have made a slew of casting announcements including their choices for the WM3 themselves. According to Variety, they finally locked down the key role of Damien Echols this week,...
- 6/15/2012
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
And the star power keeps amping up for director Atom Egoyan's Devil's Knot, based on the events surrounding the recently freed West Memphis Three, as both Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone, "The Wire") and Dane DeHaan (Chronicle, "True Blood") are in early talks for roles.
Per Variety these two deals are in the early stages since DeHaan is getting married this summer and his shooting dates still have to be finalized, as do Ryan's. If cast, Ryan would play private detective Ron Lax's soon-to-be ex-wife, and DeHaan would play a teen who had some history with the three murdered boys.
Colin Firth, Mireille Enos, Reese Witherspoon, Collette Wolfe, Kristopher Higgins, Alessandro Nivola, and Kris Polaha all star in the drama about the West Memphis 3 based on journalist Mara Leveritt's bestselling book of the same name.
Firth will play Ron Lax, a private investigator who was the first pro...
Per Variety these two deals are in the early stages since DeHaan is getting married this summer and his shooting dates still have to be finalized, as do Ryan's. If cast, Ryan would play private detective Ron Lax's soon-to-be ex-wife, and DeHaan would play a teen who had some history with the three murdered boys.
Colin Firth, Mireille Enos, Reese Witherspoon, Collette Wolfe, Kristopher Higgins, Alessandro Nivola, and Kris Polaha all star in the drama about the West Memphis 3 based on journalist Mara Leveritt's bestselling book of the same name.
Firth will play Ron Lax, a private investigator who was the first pro...
- 6/14/2012
- by The Woman In Black
- DreadCentral.com
Three more names have joined onto the latest film documenting both the tragedy and the mystery surrounding the newly freed West Memphis Three, Devil's Knot, and we have the skinny on all of them. Read on for the latest!
According to Deadline, Collette Wolfe (Young Adult) and Kris Polaha ("Ringer”) are joining the cast while Justin Castor (“Glee”) is circling a role. Polaha will play public defender Val Price; Wolfe will serve as Colin Firth’s character’s assistant, Glori Shettles; and Castor is in talks to play Jason Baldwin, one of the West Memphis 3.
Colin Firth, Mireille Enos, and Reese Witherspoon all star in the drama about the West Memphis 3 that Atom Egoyan is directing.
Enos will play Vicki Hutcheson, the mother of an 8-year-old boy who lives in a run-down house in West Memphis. She becomes an important witness in the murder trial of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin,...
According to Deadline, Collette Wolfe (Young Adult) and Kris Polaha ("Ringer”) are joining the cast while Justin Castor (“Glee”) is circling a role. Polaha will play public defender Val Price; Wolfe will serve as Colin Firth’s character’s assistant, Glori Shettles; and Castor is in talks to play Jason Baldwin, one of the West Memphis 3.
Colin Firth, Mireille Enos, and Reese Witherspoon all star in the drama about the West Memphis 3 that Atom Egoyan is directing.
Enos will play Vicki Hutcheson, the mother of an 8-year-old boy who lives in a run-down house in West Memphis. She becomes an important witness in the murder trial of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin,...
- 6/13/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Exclusive: Alessandro Nivola has been tapped to star opposite Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth in Devil’s Knot, the Atom Egoyan-directed drama about the conviction of the West Memphis 3, a trio falsely accused of a triple homicide in a controversial trial that presented no physical evidence. Nivola will play Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of one of the young victims. It’s a pivotal role in the film; Hobbs is a controversial figure who has consistently denied any role in the murders but has come under suspicion in the 20 years since the crime was committed. He has never been charged and evidence against him is inconclusive. His relationship with his wife Pam Hobbs (Witherspoon) forms the backbone of the story. Nivola will next be seen in Sally Potter’s untitled film, which stars Elle Fanning and Annette Bening. He’s repped by CAA and Management 360.
- 6/11/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
More possible casting news is coming in for the latest film documenting both the tragedy and the mystery surrounding the newly freed West Memphis Three, Devil's Knot, and we've got the latest on who may be headed into the woods.
Deadline reports that Kristopher Higgins (pictured; The Secret Life of the American Teenager) is in talks to join the cast of Devil’s Knot to play Jessie Misskelley, Jr. If signed, he'll join the already announced Colin Firth, Mireille Enos, and Reese Witherspoon in the drama about the West Memphis 3 that Atom Egoyan is directing.
Enos will play Vicki Hutcheson, the mother of an 8-year-old boy who lives in a run-down house in West Memphis. She becomes an important witness in the murder trial of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, Jr., for the killing of three 8-year-old boys found hog-tied in a drainage ditch. Hutcheson, it becomes apparent to investigators,...
Deadline reports that Kristopher Higgins (pictured; The Secret Life of the American Teenager) is in talks to join the cast of Devil’s Knot to play Jessie Misskelley, Jr. If signed, he'll join the already announced Colin Firth, Mireille Enos, and Reese Witherspoon in the drama about the West Memphis 3 that Atom Egoyan is directing.
Enos will play Vicki Hutcheson, the mother of an 8-year-old boy who lives in a run-down house in West Memphis. She becomes an important witness in the murder trial of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, Jr., for the killing of three 8-year-old boys found hog-tied in a drainage ditch. Hutcheson, it becomes apparent to investigators,...
- 6/8/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
The Killing's Mireille Enos has officially joined the film production of Devil's Knott, which will tell the true story of the West Memphis Three. She joins Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth in the Atom Egoyan-directed drama. If you've seen The Killing, then you know how intense of an actress Enos is. She'll make a great addition to the cast.
According to Deadline, "Enos will play Vicki Hutcheson, the mother of an 8-year-old boy who lives in a run-down house in West Memphis. She becomes an important witness in the murder trial of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley for the killing of three 8-year-old boys found hog-tied in a drainage ditch. Hutcheson, it becomes apparent to investigators, could be the only link between Echols and Misskelley."
It was previously reported that Firth would play Ron Lax, "a private investigator who was the first pro bono supporter of...
According to Deadline, "Enos will play Vicki Hutcheson, the mother of an 8-year-old boy who lives in a run-down house in West Memphis. She becomes an important witness in the murder trial of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley for the killing of three 8-year-old boys found hog-tied in a drainage ditch. Hutcheson, it becomes apparent to investigators, could be the only link between Echols and Misskelley."
It was previously reported that Firth would play Ron Lax, "a private investigator who was the first pro bono supporter of...
- 5/31/2012
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
I suspect that, much like this week’s Snow White and the Huntsman, the “Prince” of Maleficent won’t have a huge impact on the actual proceedings. This film’s really about the evil side of Sleeping Beauty, and the “good guys” will get focus through that character, anyhow; he might just prove to be eye candy and a dues ex machina.
So don’t put too much stock in the next casting item, wherein Deadline tells us that Brenton Thwaites (Home and Away) will take the role and, as a result, screen space with Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, and Sharlto Copley, all of whom are acting under the guidance of debut helmer Robert Stromberg. For a young actor whose biggest work thus far has been on an Australian soap opera, this is a big step-up.
The film, penned by Linda Woolverton (Alice in Wonderland), looks at Sleeping Beauty from the perspective of its villain,...
So don’t put too much stock in the next casting item, wherein Deadline tells us that Brenton Thwaites (Home and Away) will take the role and, as a result, screen space with Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, and Sharlto Copley, all of whom are acting under the guidance of debut helmer Robert Stromberg. For a young actor whose biggest work thus far has been on an Australian soap opera, this is a big step-up.
The film, penned by Linda Woolverton (Alice in Wonderland), looks at Sleeping Beauty from the perspective of its villain,...
- 5/31/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Atom Egoyan‘s upcoming drama based on the real-life tragedy of the West Memphis 3, Devil’s Knot, has been quite slowly accumulating cast members, with news on each new member of the production trickling out over the course of many months. Reese Witherspoon joined the cast in December as Pam Hobbs, the mother of victim Stevie Branch, and Colin Firth signed on in February to play Ron Lax, a private eye who offered his services to the WM3 before their trial in 1993. While the project itself was announced all the way back in August, with such delicate material to cover, perhaps Egoyan is taking his time in picking his cast (what an idea!). Devil’s Knot has now added its third major cast member, and it is indeed a delicate role that is being filled – Deadline Seattle reports that The Killing star Mireille Enos will play Vicki Hutcheson in the film. Those...
- 5/31/2012
- by Kate Erbland
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
More casting news has come in for the latest film documenting both the tragedy and the mystery surrounding the newly freed West Memphis Three, Devil's Knot, and we've got the skinny for you hot, fresh, and on tap!
According to Deadline, Mireille Enos ("The Killing") has joined Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth in Devil’s Knot, the Atom Egoyan-directed drama about the West Memphis 3. Enos will play Vicki Hutcheson, the mother of an 8-year-old boy who lives in a run-down house in West Memphis. She becomes an important witness in the murder trial of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, Jr., for the killing of three 8-year-old boys found hog-tied in a drainage ditch. Hutcheson, it becomes apparent to investigators, could be the only link between Echols and Misskelley.
Firth will play Ron Lax, a private investigator who was the first pro bono supporter of the defendants as...
According to Deadline, Mireille Enos ("The Killing") has joined Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth in Devil’s Knot, the Atom Egoyan-directed drama about the West Memphis 3. Enos will play Vicki Hutcheson, the mother of an 8-year-old boy who lives in a run-down house in West Memphis. She becomes an important witness in the murder trial of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, Jr., for the killing of three 8-year-old boys found hog-tied in a drainage ditch. Hutcheson, it becomes apparent to investigators, could be the only link between Echols and Misskelley.
Firth will play Ron Lax, a private investigator who was the first pro bono supporter of the defendants as...
- 5/30/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Atom Egoyan is deep in pre-production for based-on-truth drama Devil’s Knot. He's slowly gathering cast members for a summer shoot and has just aded The Killing’s Mireille Enos to the lineup. Egoyan is working from a script written by The Exorcism Of Emily Rose team of Scott Derrickson and Paul Boardman. The plot follows the real-life story of the West Memphis Three: Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, who were sent to prison despite a lack of evidence for the murder of three eight-year-old boys. The script itself was adapted from Mara Leveritt’s 2003 book Devil’s Knot: The True Story Of The West Memphis Three.Colin Firth is starring as Ron Lax, a private investigator who became the trio’s first champion in 1993 when they were headed to trial. He offered his services for free at a time when the weight of public opinion was firmly against them.
- 5/30/2012
- EmpireOnline
Well, we gave up on the second season of "The Killing" after being jerked around way too much by a plot that refuses to do anything, but the stars of the show don't have to worry about their Hollywood prospects. Joel Kinnaman has already popped up in a couple of movies and stars in the summer's indie rom-com "Lola Versus" and is slated to be the next "RoboCop." Meanwhile, Mirielle Enos has already bagged roles in "World War Z" with Brad Pitt and "Gangster Squad" with Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin, Emma Stone and a zillion other people, and now she's joining another film with an equally impressive roster.
Deadline reports Enos has come on board Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan's West Memphris Three drama "The Devil's Knot." Based on the book “Devil’s Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three,” the feature film will take a...
Deadline reports Enos has come on board Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan's West Memphris Three drama "The Devil's Knot." Based on the book “Devil’s Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three,” the feature film will take a...
- 5/30/2012
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Jessie Misskelley Jr. and Jason Baldwin, two of the West Memphis Three, will executive produce Atom Egoyan's "Devil's Knot" about the infamous case reports Variety.
The WM3 were sent to prison for the heinous murder of the three 8-year old boys who were found hog-tied in a drainage ditch.
The trio of teenagers were convicted despite not a shred of physical evidence, and sensationalized reports about devil worship and ritualistic sacrifice only serve to fuel public opinion against them.
Colin Firth will play Ron Lax, a prominent private investigator and the first pro bono supporter of the defendents as they headed to trial in 1993.
Lax helped find the DNA in the knots that bound one of the victims, evidence which cast suspicion on the stepfather of one of the boys - Terry Hobbs. Reese Witherspoon has already been cast to play Pam Hobbs, who is eventually persuaded that the three suspects are wrongly accused.
The WM3 were sent to prison for the heinous murder of the three 8-year old boys who were found hog-tied in a drainage ditch.
The trio of teenagers were convicted despite not a shred of physical evidence, and sensationalized reports about devil worship and ritualistic sacrifice only serve to fuel public opinion against them.
Colin Firth will play Ron Lax, a prominent private investigator and the first pro bono supporter of the defendents as they headed to trial in 1993.
Lax helped find the DNA in the knots that bound one of the victims, evidence which cast suspicion on the stepfather of one of the boys - Terry Hobbs. Reese Witherspoon has already been cast to play Pam Hobbs, who is eventually persuaded that the three suspects are wrongly accused.
- 3/15/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Little Rock, Ark. — Todd Moore isn't sure whether he'll watch the Oscars this weekend, when a documentary about the murder of his son and two other Cub Scouts could win an Academy Award.
Moore and his ex-wife, Diana, believe "Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory" glorifies the three men convicted in the Arkansas' boys' deaths and asked the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to bar it from consideration for an Oscar. The academy refused, saying the film met the basic eligibility requirements and was being viewed and evaluated by members.
"It would not be possible for the Academy – its leadership, executives, or administration – to insert itself into this process without risking the integrity of this longstanding procedure and of the awards themselves," wrote Rob Epstein, who chairs the Documentary Branch Executive Committee, in the letter dated Dec. 13. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter this week.
Epstein thanked...
Moore and his ex-wife, Diana, believe "Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory" glorifies the three men convicted in the Arkansas' boys' deaths and asked the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to bar it from consideration for an Oscar. The academy refused, saying the film met the basic eligibility requirements and was being viewed and evaluated by members.
"It would not be possible for the Academy – its leadership, executives, or administration – to insert itself into this process without risking the integrity of this longstanding procedure and of the awards themselves," wrote Rob Epstein, who chairs the Documentary Branch Executive Committee, in the letter dated Dec. 13. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter this week.
Epstein thanked...
- 2/25/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Colin Firth has joined Atom Egoyan's "Devil’s Knot", his upcoming dramatic feature about the West Memphis Three reports Deadline.
The WM3 were three teenagers - Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley - who were sent to prison for the heinous murder of the three 8-year old boys who were found hog-tied in a drainage ditch.
The trio were convicted despite not a shred of physical evidence, and sensationalized reports about devil worship and ritualistic sacrifice only serve to fuel public opinion against them.
Firth will play Ron Lax, a prominent private investigator and the first pro bono supporter of the defendents as they headed to trial in 1993.
Lax helped find the DNA in the knots that bound one of the victims, evidence which cast suspicion on the stepfather of one of the boys - Terry Hobbs. Reese Witherspoon has already been cast to play Pam Hobbs, who...
The WM3 were three teenagers - Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley - who were sent to prison for the heinous murder of the three 8-year old boys who were found hog-tied in a drainage ditch.
The trio were convicted despite not a shred of physical evidence, and sensationalized reports about devil worship and ritualistic sacrifice only serve to fuel public opinion against them.
Firth will play Ron Lax, a prominent private investigator and the first pro bono supporter of the defendents as they headed to trial in 1993.
Lax helped find the DNA in the knots that bound one of the victims, evidence which cast suspicion on the stepfather of one of the boys - Terry Hobbs. Reese Witherspoon has already been cast to play Pam Hobbs, who...
- 2/2/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
With Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky's "Paradise Lost" trilogy, the Peter Jackson-produced "West of Memphis" and a plethora of books and other material about the West Memphis Three, you might think the subject was all done. Far from it. Last year "The Devil's Knot" started heading into production from Canadian director Atom Egoyan ("Exotica," "Chloe," "The Sweet Hereafter") with Reese Witherspoon to star. Now another Academy Award winner is coming on board. Colin Firth, who previously teamed with Egoyan on "Where the Truth Lies," has joined the film. 'Devil's Knot' will take a different tack than the documentaries, getting out of the courtroom and taking a look at how the murder impacted the lives of those in the community. Witherspoon will play Pam Hobbs, one of the mothers of the victims who eventually becomes convinced that Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr. have been.
- 2/1/2012
- The Playlist
Little Rock, Ark. — The parents of two of three Arkansas boys who were murdered in 1993 said they're disappointed that a documentary about the killings and the three men convicted, known as the West Memphis Three, was nominated Tuesday for an Academy Award.
Todd and Diana Moore had asked the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to exclude "Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory" from consideration, saying it glorifies Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley. The three spent 18 years in prison, maintaining their innocence and attracting attention from celebrities, before a deal with prosecutors set them free last year.
The film, directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, is the third in a series of HBO documentaries about the killings of Michael Moore, Stevie Branch and Christopher Byers. The bodies of the 8-year-old Cub Scouts were found naked and tied up with shoe strings in West Memphis, a town along the Mississippi River.
Todd and Diana Moore had asked the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to exclude "Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory" from consideration, saying it glorifies Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley. The three spent 18 years in prison, maintaining their innocence and attracting attention from celebrities, before a deal with prosecutors set them free last year.
The film, directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, is the third in a series of HBO documentaries about the killings of Michael Moore, Stevie Branch and Christopher Byers. The bodies of the 8-year-old Cub Scouts were found naked and tied up with shoe strings in West Memphis, a town along the Mississippi River.
- 1/25/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Little Rock, Ark. — The parents of two of three Arkansas boys who were murdered in 1993 said they're disappointed that a documentary about the killings and the three men convicted, known as the West Memphis Three, was nominated Tuesday for an Academy Award.
Todd and Diana Moore had asked the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to exclude "Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory" from consideration, saying it glorifies Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley. The three spent 18 years in prison, maintaining their innocence and attracting attention from celebrities, before a deal with prosecutors set them free last year.
The film, directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, is the third in a series of HBO documentaries about the killings of Michael Moore, Stevie Branch and Christopher Byers. The bodies of the 8-year-old Cub Scouts were found naked and tied up with shoe strings in West Memphis, a town along the Mississippi River.
Todd and Diana Moore had asked the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to exclude "Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory" from consideration, saying it glorifies Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley. The three spent 18 years in prison, maintaining their innocence and attracting attention from celebrities, before a deal with prosecutors set them free last year.
The film, directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, is the third in a series of HBO documentaries about the killings of Michael Moore, Stevie Branch and Christopher Byers. The bodies of the 8-year-old Cub Scouts were found naked and tied up with shoe strings in West Memphis, a town along the Mississippi River.
- 1/25/2012
- by AP
- Aol TV.
The case of the West Memphis Three is one of the longest-running cases of legal injustice in modern American history. In 1993, three teenagers from White Trash Central, aka West Memphis, Arkansas – Damien Echols, Jesse Misskelley, Jr. and Jason Baldwin – were convicted of the brutal rape, torture and murder of three little boys, Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers. As depicted in the unforgettable, made-for-hbo documentary Paradise Lost: The Child Murders of Robin Hood Hills, the West Memphis Three were found guilty of murder mostly because they were black-clad, heavy-metal kids in the middle of a deeply disturbed community desperate to pin such a heartbreaking crime on the a group of obvious misfits. The story continues in Paradise Lost 2: Revelations, Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory and now producer Peter Jackson‘s West of Memphis, which premiered at Sundance, introduces three new witnesses to corroborate the Three’s innocence. /Film]
Ever since the first film,...
Ever since the first film,...
- 1/21/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
I've been following the story of the West Memphis Three for the last ten years. I was hooked when I first saw the HBO documentary Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills. Since then I've been following everything surrounding the case of with Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jesse Misskelley, and like many of the other people that know of this sad tale, I've been waiting for the day of their release... that day has come and gone. With the help of filmmaker Peter Jackson the investigation of these murders were able to continue, and these investigators brought information to light proving that these three men have been wrongly imprisoned for the last 18 years.
This Jackson produced documentary West of Memphis was directed by Amy Berg, and it takes the audience through a frustratingly long journey of how these boys were part of a modern day witch hunt...
This Jackson produced documentary West of Memphis was directed by Amy Berg, and it takes the audience through a frustratingly long journey of how these boys were part of a modern day witch hunt...
- 1/21/2012
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
When it was over, Peter Jackson had tears in his eyes. The premiere of West of Memphis, Amy Berg’s new documentary about the controversial Arkansas case of the West Memphis 3, brought a full Sundance audience to the Marc Theatre Friday afternoon. Jackson and wife Fran Walsh, who produced the project, were on hand to introduce it, and several of the people involved in the case and the 1993 murders were there, as well. Victims’ parents John Mark Byers and Pam Hobbs were in the theater, as were Damien Echols and his wife Lorri Davis, who produced the film with
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- 1/21/2012
- by Jay A. Fernandez
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Reality is always stranger than fiction, but when we're talking about the West Memphis Three, it continues to grow stranger still. Today there's more information pertaining to the upcoming West of Memphis documentary, which indicates a new direction for the case that could finally lead to the real killer.
According to Deadline, West of Memphis will feature some recently obtained evidence that may have bearing on the future of this case. The documentary was screened for press in New York and Los Angeles last week with the stipulation that one scene was missing. Deadline alleges that this scene will be reinstated in the film for its Sundance premiere today.
To coincide with this news, it seems that Damien Echols issued a press release today that may allude to the missing scene in West of Memphis:
Terry Hobbs’ nephew, Michael Hobbs, Jr., allegedly told his friends, “My uncle Terry murdered those three little boys,...
According to Deadline, West of Memphis will feature some recently obtained evidence that may have bearing on the future of this case. The documentary was screened for press in New York and Los Angeles last week with the stipulation that one scene was missing. Deadline alleges that this scene will be reinstated in the film for its Sundance premiere today.
To coincide with this news, it seems that Damien Echols issued a press release today that may allude to the missing scene in West of Memphis:
Terry Hobbs’ nephew, Michael Hobbs, Jr., allegedly told his friends, “My uncle Terry murdered those three little boys,...
- 1/20/2012
- by Masked Slasher
- DreadCentral.com
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