This Alfred Hitchcock directed picture was based on the true story of something that went terribly wrong one night for a musician who worked in a swank and at the time very famous New York nightclub, and what happened to him one night when, on his way home from work, he was confronted by policeman in a car outside his home and was arrested on charges of armed robbery.
This musician, Manny Balestrero, was innocent of the crime of which he was accused; and from things the viewer gets to know about him he is a caring family man, imperfect in mostly small ways; a devoted husband and father; and overall an upstanding citizen. What follows Manny's arrest is essentially a ritual of dehumanization and humiliation, as Manny is prepared by the police to spend his time in jail as he await his trial.
What little good news that comes Manny's way is that he has acquired the services of a decent, sympathetic, competent lawyer who believes in his case, and who works hard for him. The downside during this period is the slow, tragic mental decline of Manny's wife, whose mind is slowly unraveling under the stress of her husband's predicament ; and it's easy for the viewer to see where she is headed from her increasingly strange and for her atypical behavior, as she becomes detached from reality and sinks into a deep depression.
The Wrong Man is a movie that feels like a short trip to hell. There's not a moment of joy in the entire film. There are, for sure, good people in the story, and yet they are, most of them, helpless in their attempts to help Manny, as the wheels of justice are as slow as they are heavy. Manny's ordeal is a long one; and what in the end saves him is nothing less than a miracle. A good Catholic, Manny prays to God for help; and his prayers are answered; after a fashion, that is.
However that may be, Manny's personal life is ruined. His wife is a mess. What fame and goodwill he received in the media vanished quickly. The story happened a long time ago. Manny was not going to appear in coast to coast talk shows. A movie, this one, would be made of his ordeal; but one cannot put a price tag on personal suffering Could any of the suffering he went through be made up for in some way? One senses not. Manny shall survive, shall continue to earn a living, but he shall not prosper. To put it in plain English: to be saved from a several years prison sentence and a felony conviction is not the same as "winning". Manny did not win his case so much as the state lost its case. Manny lost the night he was arrested.
There is no quick fix,--or for that matter even a slow one--for people who have suffered as Manny did. This is what the viewer of The Wrong Man learns about our criminal justice system and, more broadly speaking, our society. Manny was one of many people who are not perhaps blessed in life to any great extent, yet not cursed, either. They live in a kind of drab normality, occasionally interrupted by moments of joy and of love. After his arrest, Manny was too wounded to wholly recover, though he did live. His wife fell apart and never wholly recovered.
The Wrong Man is a true to life movie, and an exceedingly sad and depressing one. It's a downer from start to finish. Justice was served in the end; and yet two people's lives were ruined along the way. Where's the justice in that? There isn't any. The entire story of this film is that of a hard luck case. Manny was not a fortunate man to begin with, though he had some good things in life prior to his arrest. Afterward, he was still a hard luck case, only now he could walk the streets again as a free man; in theory anyway.
This musician, Manny Balestrero, was innocent of the crime of which he was accused; and from things the viewer gets to know about him he is a caring family man, imperfect in mostly small ways; a devoted husband and father; and overall an upstanding citizen. What follows Manny's arrest is essentially a ritual of dehumanization and humiliation, as Manny is prepared by the police to spend his time in jail as he await his trial.
What little good news that comes Manny's way is that he has acquired the services of a decent, sympathetic, competent lawyer who believes in his case, and who works hard for him. The downside during this period is the slow, tragic mental decline of Manny's wife, whose mind is slowly unraveling under the stress of her husband's predicament ; and it's easy for the viewer to see where she is headed from her increasingly strange and for her atypical behavior, as she becomes detached from reality and sinks into a deep depression.
The Wrong Man is a movie that feels like a short trip to hell. There's not a moment of joy in the entire film. There are, for sure, good people in the story, and yet they are, most of them, helpless in their attempts to help Manny, as the wheels of justice are as slow as they are heavy. Manny's ordeal is a long one; and what in the end saves him is nothing less than a miracle. A good Catholic, Manny prays to God for help; and his prayers are answered; after a fashion, that is.
However that may be, Manny's personal life is ruined. His wife is a mess. What fame and goodwill he received in the media vanished quickly. The story happened a long time ago. Manny was not going to appear in coast to coast talk shows. A movie, this one, would be made of his ordeal; but one cannot put a price tag on personal suffering Could any of the suffering he went through be made up for in some way? One senses not. Manny shall survive, shall continue to earn a living, but he shall not prosper. To put it in plain English: to be saved from a several years prison sentence and a felony conviction is not the same as "winning". Manny did not win his case so much as the state lost its case. Manny lost the night he was arrested.
There is no quick fix,--or for that matter even a slow one--for people who have suffered as Manny did. This is what the viewer of The Wrong Man learns about our criminal justice system and, more broadly speaking, our society. Manny was one of many people who are not perhaps blessed in life to any great extent, yet not cursed, either. They live in a kind of drab normality, occasionally interrupted by moments of joy and of love. After his arrest, Manny was too wounded to wholly recover, though he did live. His wife fell apart and never wholly recovered.
The Wrong Man is a true to life movie, and an exceedingly sad and depressing one. It's a downer from start to finish. Justice was served in the end; and yet two people's lives were ruined along the way. Where's the justice in that? There isn't any. The entire story of this film is that of a hard luck case. Manny was not a fortunate man to begin with, though he had some good things in life prior to his arrest. Afterward, he was still a hard luck case, only now he could walk the streets again as a free man; in theory anyway.