Posted on: July 10, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

I understand that a great number of people know well the story of Mumia Abu-Jamal, but the amount of people that have some or all of the facts wrong are immense. For those individuals, “A Case For Reasonable Doubt?” provides all of these facts in a matter that looks to seek the truth after nearly thirty years of falsehoods and other incorrect accusations. Abu-Jamal irked a number of individuals in Philadelphia due to eir political orientations, being tied to the Black Panther Party.

Abu-Jamal was given a death sentence for the murder of police officer Daniel Faulkner, but there are a number of problems with the placement of Abu-Jamal as the shooter in the crime. There are not many in the way of bonus features that are present in “A Case For Reasonable Doubt?”, but the ones that are present provide individuals with a great deal more information that what was presented during the documentary. This means that there is a previously unreleased, extended interview that was conducted with Abu-Jamal that further elaborates some of the points made in the movie. The filmmaker’s biography does not give individuals any more in the way of information regarding the case, but it does explain why exactly Edginton was so eager to come up with a documentary about a contentious subject as this one. While Abu-Jamal may never see the light of day, it seems as if the criminal justice system which was so against Abu-Jamal is seeing the err of its ways.

This is due to the fact that the U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed the decision of the lower court regarding Abu-Jamal, removing the punishment of a death sentence and ordering a new sentence. It is hard to believe that films like “A Case For Reasonable Doubt?” have had a lot to do in providing the information necessary to show the problems that the state’s case against Abu-Jamal had, and the film itself does not want to seem to give up at this point either. By providing all of this information in an easy to digest format, the hope of individuals like Edginton is that one day, Abu-Jamal will be able to actually be a free person, being given back the life that ey once had. “A Case For Reasonable Doubt?” is a powerful documentary, and is one that any individual that may be wanting to understand the case further should pick up.

Rating: 8.0/10

Mumia Abu-Jamal: A Case For Reasonable Doubt? / 2008 Docurama / 74 Minutes / http://www.otmoorproductions.com /

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