SummaryCrime After Crime tells the dramatic story of the legal battle to free Debbie Peagler, an incarcerated survivor of domestic violence. Over 26 years in prison could not crush the spirit of this determined African-American woman, despite the wrongs she suffered, first at the hands of a duplicitous boyfriend who beat her and forced her into prostitu... Read More
Directed By:Yoav Potash
Written By:Yoav Potash
Crime After Crime
Metascore
Generally Favorable
72
User score
Universal Acclaim
8.6
My Score
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Metascore
Generally Favorable
75% Positive
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
25% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Apr 6, 2014
100
Potash marks time by the year until the last 30 minutes of the film, when the clock intertitles speed up with the many advancements in her situation, building to a breathless finish that will leave the viewer emotionally crushed and yet also hopeful and joyous.
Jun 30, 2011
83
Through the ceaseless efforts of two dedicated pro bono lawyers-both with personal reasons to keep up the fight for five or six grueling years-director Yoav Potash follows every revelation and setback with an urgency most fiction films can't muster.
User score
Universal Acclaim
89% Positive
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
11% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Apr 4, 2014
10
This movie portrays a heart-wrenching story which is all to familiar to a large percentage of our nation's incarcerated women. The lengths to which this poor woman has to go in order to receive anything resembling justice are appalling, and the condemnation of the criminal "justice" system is impossible to ignore. This story is grippingly and expertly told by filmmaker Yoav Potash. This is not just an issue isolated to one, poor woman and one unfortunately incident: this is a shockingly common story within our prisons, especially among female prisoners (as pointed out by the film). If you've gotten anything out of the social commentary in either the book or screen versions of Orange is the New Black, you should see this movie for the real picture of what's happening every day to our peers in our prisons.
Apr 4, 2014
10
Crime after crime Is a interesting splice of life Woven in a tapestry of controversy It follows the struggles of a woman falsely Accused of murder Of her abusive pimp boyfriend With a excellent backstory of two young attorneys trying to get her out of prison I find this will be uplifting and positive
Jul 1, 2011
80
This story doesn't go well with popcorn, and you won't be able to shake it off like so many blockbusters. That said, it's likely to be the most unforgettable film you see all summer.
Jun 28, 2011
75
It not only makes for riveting cinematic drama (all the more impressive given that it relies so heavily on recounted words rather than illustrated actions), but for first-rate muckraking.
Jun 28, 2011
70
Although helmer Yoav Potash's approach is low-key and only vaguely cinematic, each instance of judicial malfeasance -- and there are many -- is allowed to toll loudly in its own moral echo chamber.
Jun 28, 2011
60
The tale itself is extraordinary, so why not let it do the talking? When Crime After Crime sifts through the facts, we feel the pull of justice; those moments might be enough.
Jul 2, 2011
40
Stylistically dull, Crime After Crime proceeds from one talking-head interview to the next, sticking to sentiment.
Apr 3, 2014
10
With good reason this film received seven standing ovations at Sundance! It's personal, emotional and uncovers shameful things about our legal system. Footage taken within a prison, let alone one of the biggest maximum security women's prisons in the world, is impossible to get so this was a huge coup for the filmmaker. Should be required viewing.
Apr 3, 2014
10
This gripping independent film provides a rare and intimate look at the legal battle to free someone who has been wronged by the criminal justice system. It's more dramatic and emotionally powerful than anything I've seen in years. I don't want to spoil anything, but it has several significant plot twists, and the people in it are absolutely riveting. The music is great too, much better than most movie music.
Jul 22, 2011
9
Although not the most cinematically adept or professional documentary of the year (and a bit too blatantly manipulative), the story of Debbie Peaglor and her interminable legal battle is so involving and so heart-breaking that it seems to me that only the heartless (ot the terminally chauvinistic) could fail to be moved by the movie. It is a stunning story from both a personal and a legal point of view; and (as in the case of The Last Mountain), it is a tragedy that so few people will see it (unless they tune it later to the Oprah network) and that the major newspapers again sent their 3rd string critics to review it. (The theater at which I saw the movie--the only theater in the area to show it--was playing it only one time per day.) The mix of personalities and backgrounds among the lead "characters" and their obvious affection for each other makes the movie even more compelling. Go see it before it closes (if it hasn't already).
Production Company:
- Doc Society
- Life Sentence Films
Release Date:Jul 1, 2011
Duration:1 h 35 m
Tagline:Horribly abused...Wrongfully imprisoned...One signature away from freedom.
Website:
Awards
Heartland International Film Festival
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
San Francisco International Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
National Board of Review, USA
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
