Emily Washburn "The Central Park Five," by Ken and Sarah Burns, is a documentary based on events that took place in 1989 in New York City. It is about the attack and rape of Trisha Melili, a late night jogger, and the arrest of five men who were arrested in the park the night of the crime. It shows the interrogation of these boys for hours on end without contact with their family and the evident persuasion by police for them to create a false story in order to "be released." Unfortunately for the five, this story was held against them and as a result they were convicted of various charges including rape in the first degree and were sent to prison. Years later the actual rapist came forward and the five were cleared of their charges.This film in made up of original footage, interviews with four of the five men, family members and a handful of people alive during the crime or involved in some way in the trial. It portrays the brutality of the police, a faulty justice system and the effects of false accusation as well as racism on people's lives. The utilization of obscure clips and footage, adds to the overall dark and unfortunate feel toward the boy's situation. By using real footage and voice clips of the interrogations and the trail, the film becomes more personal and allows the view to feel like they were there and have a connection to these men. This is an excellent film that is used to remind society that the justice system is not sound and that the community needs to be aware so that people's lives are not ruined like these five men. It is also a tribute to their innocence and give them the recognition in society as human beings not rapist.

runamokprods Any story of justice denied, of people wrongfully imprisoned is inherently dramatic. But Ken Burns uses this case of five frightened teen aged boys prodded and manipulated into confessing to a crime they didn't commit to dig into some larger societal issues as well. Yes, the police and prosecutors look bad for the way they mislead the kids into confessions, and then steadfastly refuse to look at other evidence. But the press also comes off badly for exploiting the case to sell papers and satisfy a frightened city's desire for law and order, instead of asking questions when it became clear things simply weren't adding up. And politicians for expressing condemnation and outrage at these young men before they were even (wrongly) convicted. A strong and pointed warning about those times when society's desire for revenge overcomes it's sense of logic, humanity and fairness.

sbrad4510 This is a taut and suspenseful piece of documentation. It will get your dander up. Especially if you believe in the democratic principals of freedom and justice. It's about five young men whose fundamental rite of passage was stripped from them. They were forced to spend their formative years being caught up in a justice system gone awry. That precious time of life when we get to decide who we are and what we are to become. Those transformative years between 13 and 18 when we get to make the declaration of 'I Am'! If you're left wondering 'Who am I' at the end of that period something has been stolen from you that can never be replaced. That's what this documentary is ultimately about-and it will leave you questioning 'Who are we'? That boys lives can be compromised-the promise of becoming. You can almost see the direct correlation between The Central Park Five and Trayvon Martin, African and Latino American boys being denied the rite of becoming. It is a human tragedy of which we all should feel some sense of shame.

jcnsoflorida I was leery of this despite a friend's recommendation. I didn't live in NY at the time and basically ignored the news reports. So, this film I found fascinating, should be required for all law students and certainly worthwhile for everyone else. It could have been 5 or 10 minutes shorter but frankly I feel that way about most films. I had a bit of confusion sorting out the Five and their adult selves. (One of them changed to or from a Muslim-sounding name, I think). Also it's a very interesting portrait of NYC circa 1990. I'd like to know more about why the civil case is still "unresolved". The tone of the film is indignant but, more importantly, it is truth-seeking. That's why it's so compelling: we viewers want to find out what happened.