West of Memphis (2012)
92%RT Audience Score: 87%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
1 win & 10 nominations total
Both a sobering look at a true crime story and a scathing indictment of the American justice system, West of Memphis is a real-life horror story told with fury and compassion.
West of Memphis” is like watching a true-crime TV show, but with the added bonus of being a movie that’s both moving and gruesome. It’s a real-life horror story that will leave you stunned and disappointed in the justice system. But hey, at least we have millionaires like Vedder feeling good about themselves for saving innocent people, right? All in all, it’s a weighty expose of human nature that’s commendable in its scope and passion, even if it does have some questionable finger-pointing and an inappropriately celebratory ending.
Production Company(ies)
AMLF The Saul Zaentz Company,
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for disturbing violent content and some language
Year of Release
2012
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 30m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 2012 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 6, 2013
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
West of Memphis, documentary, true crime, Arkansas, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, Jessie Misskelley, police investigation, new evidence, wrongful conviction, imprisonment, American justice system, horror story, fury, compassion, R rating, English language, Amy Berg, Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson, Damien Wayne Echols, Lorri Davis, Billy McMillin, box office, gross USA, Sony Pictures Classics, Michael Baden, Jason Baldwin, John Mark Byers, Lorri Davis, Johnny Depp, Julie Ann Doan, reviewed by Tom Long, Tara Brady, Joe Williams, Leah Churner, Moira MacDonald, Ty Burr, Richard Propes, David Harris, Nicholas Bell, Mattie Lucas, Craig Williams, Joseph Walsh, 95% Tomatometer, 117 reviews, 87% audience score, 5,000+ ratings, documentary genre, disturbing violent content, directed by Amy Berg, produced by Amy Berg, Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson, Damien Wayne Echols, Lorri Davis, written by Amy Berg, Billy McMillin, released Dec 25, 2012, limited release, streaming release Aug 6, 2013, distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, Michael Baden starring, Jason Baldwin starring, John Mark Byers starring, Lorri Davis starring, Johnny Depp starring, Julie Ann Doan starring, Fresh Kernels, movie reviews, TV shows, RT podcast, news, showtimes, trending movies, Thor: Love and Thunder, Marvel Movies in Order, Minions: The Rise of Gru, The Sea Beast, Black Bird, in theaters, streaming movies, TV, most popular, A Hijacking, Capernaum, Dolemite Is My Name, The Hunt, Queen & Slim, rent/buy from $2.99, rent/buy from $3.99, critic reviews, audience reviews, horror movies, Netflix series, MCU movies, renewed and cancelled TV shows, 2022 anticipated movies, TV and streaming, worst horror movies of all time, best Netflix series and shows
Worldwide gross: $318,317
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $410,382
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,788
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 44,753
US/Canada gross: $310,154
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $399,858
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,384
US/Canada opening weekend: $13,360
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $17,224
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,565
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Jason Baldwin – Self
John Mark Byers – Self
Lorri Davis – Self
Johnny Depp – Self
Julie Ann Doan – Voice
Director(s)
Amy Berg
Writer(s)
Amy Berg, Billy McMillin
Producer(s)
Amy Berg, Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson, Damien Wayne Echols, Lorri Davis
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
1 win & 10 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (117) | Top Critics (39) | Fresh (111) | Rotten (6)
It’s not a new story, true, but “West of Memphis” makes it both extremely personal and universally painful.
April 5, 2013 | Rating: B+
Tom Long
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
The film is so utterly transfixing you won’t believe almost two-and-a-half hours have passed when the final credits roll.
March 29, 2013 | Rating: 5/5
Tara Brady
Irish Times
TOP CRITIC
We feel like we’re watching an overlong true-crime television episode and not a movie.
March 21, 2013 | Rating: 2/4
Joe Williams
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
TOP CRITIC
Moving and gruesome, West of Memphis is an eloquent disquisition on the banality of evil.
March 15, 2013 | Rating: 4/5
Leah Churner
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
A real-life horror story, made no less shocking by the familiarity of its early scenes.
March 14, 2013 | Rating: 3.5/4
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
While the “Paradise Lost” films captured events as they unfolded in the heat of battle, “West of Memphis” has the luxury of at least partial closure.
March 14, 2013 | Rating: 3.5/4
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
I found myself leaving the theater in a stunned silence and amazingly disappointed in a justice system that seemed far more invested in protecting itself.
September 27, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
West of Memphis could have made a statement about presumptions and the fallibility of our justice system. Instead, we see millionaires like Vedder feeling good about themselves for saving three innocent people.
November 19, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
David Harris
Spectrum Culture
West of Memphis is a weighty expose of human nature, and Berg proves herself once again to be a master of her craft.
August 6, 2019
Nicholas Bell
IONCINEMA.com
A compelling chronicle of true crime, paranoia, and a world where justice no longer holds any meaning.
August 6, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row
Sadly hindered by some questionable finger-pointing and an inappropriately celebratory ending… But West of Memphis is still commendable in its scope and passion.
February 7, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
Craig Williams
CineVue
West of Memphis aims to take a more established and polished cinematic approach to the material, detailing the entire story.
August 23, 2018 | Rating: 3/5
Joseph Walsh
CineVue…
Plot
West of Memphis is a documentary about the fight to stop the state of Arkansas from executing an innocent man, Damien Echols, and the new evidence that came to light surrounding his arrest and conviction for the 1993 murders of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Johnny Depp is listed in the cast and crew section, but it is not specified what role he played in the film.
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