Since his incarceration in 1982 for allegedly shooting a Philadelphia policeman to death, Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal has awaited execution on Death Row, vociferously protesting his innocence; he now qualifies as one of the most famous Death Row inmates in the world. Currently an author of five tomes and an on-air personality who broadcasts over the phone from prison, Abu-Jamal carries the support of no less than Nelson Mandela and the administrators of Amnesty International, who believe in
and fervently argue his innocence. Filmmaker Marc Evans's documentary In Prison My Whole Life witnesses William Francome, a British man who was born on the same day as the shooting, traveling to the prison where Abu-Jamal is held to investigate the details of the man's case. The film witnesses Francome learning about the initial events of that terrible night that led to Abu-Jamal's arrest and conviction, the allegations that the trial itself was unfair, and the city where it all happened - and investigating the moral and ethical dilemmas that have turned Abu-Jamal into a touchstone for the global crusade against capital punishment. Participants include belletrist Alice Walker, social activist Noam Chomsky and rapper Snoop Dogg. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
The legitimate case for death-row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal's retrial gets another airing in British helmer Marc Evans' unfocused, oddly naive In Prison My Whole Life.
While some of the testimony, from the likes of Steve Earle and Mos Def is powerful, many of the parallels Francome and Evans attempt to draw feel slightly spurious and their conclusions lack sufficient back up.
It's something you need to see if you don't know anything about Mumia or if, somehow, you missed the notion that bigotry is rampant on the police force.
A passionate, unexpected documentary, exploring more than yourtypical mistrial case. For people in their 30s, it is a brand new, uncovered time in the American History that is explained here in a smart documentary work. Congrats.
An intriguing documentary, that questions equality of justice in 1980 in Philadelphia. I discovered some shocking piece of news, and if the tone can appear somehow naive, it cleaverly drives you to adress a moral issue. This film stays with you long time. A must have !
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