CROWN HEIGHTS is an earnest, plodding and ultimately redundant film adaptation of the true story of a miscarriage of justice. In 1980, West Indian American immigrant called Colin Warner was wrongfully arrested and convicted for murdering a man in Brooklyn, New York. The evidence was scant, and his conviction apparently rested on the testimony of a young teenager who contradicted himself on the stand. Although sentenced to 15 years to life, Colin served over 20 years because every time he went up for parole, he refused to admit that he'd committed a crime. He showed no remorse, and was therefore refused parole. Luckily for him, his friend Carl King campaigned for his release, raising money for lawyers and gathering much of the testimony himself, at the expense of his marriage and job. This resulted in Colin finally being released and receiving a justifiably handsome payout. This story was the focus of a WBEZ podcast as part of the This American Life series (you can listen here) and benefits from the voices of the protagonists - their personalities, and the tension of how the story unfolds. Within its hour running time we can a real sense of their character, relationship and the sheer effort it took to get Colin released. It was listening to this podcast that inspired writer director Mark Ruskin (BOOSTER) to create this fictional treatment of the same story.
