30 for 30: June 17, 1994 (2010)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Brett Morgen If anyone is over a certain age then I'm sure they know exactly where they were on June 17, 1994 when legend O.J. Simpson was in the back of a white Bronco with a gun to his head and being followed by the police. These images are in everyone's mind now but also going on this day was a victory parade in NYC for the Stanley Cup winning Rangers, Arnold Palmer's final round at the U.S. Open, the World Cup kick-off in Chicago and that night NYC held game 5 of the NBA Championship. This documentary centers on the O.J. case but also takes a look at all the other important events that were going on yet have all but been forgotten. The documentary doesn't use any talking heads, instead it just uses the news broadcasts of the day and this really gives the film a unique feel. We've all seen news footage thrown together to tell a story but director Morgen does such a masterful job that he manges to edit all of this footage and make it very stylish and original. We get to see the "before" O.J. from footage of him at USC, in the NFL and all the commercials he was doing. For those too young to remember O.J. for anything outside the infamous court trial, this here really reminds people at how great he was and how loved he was. The documentary also makes a good case that this chase is where reality TV started as people got their first taste of blood, which continues today with people's obsession with reality TV and the personal lives of celebrities. I remember following the trial, following the aftermath and in the years since I've seen countless documentaries on O.J. but this one here is certainly one of the best and most original works. June 17, 1994 was certainly a surreal moment and watching this footage today just reminds you what an important and cultural changing day it has become.