Surprisingly incoherent and boring

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Like most films of this kind, it is a film based on a true story which happened in Arkansas in 1993. I am English and until watching this film, I had never heard of this story. However, some, if not many, might regard this right up there for notoriety with crimes put to movies such as Ted Bundy and others in the pipeline such as Madeleine McCann and Amanda Knox-Meredith Kercher.This was a complicated story-line to absorb without knowing the story first and I took the chance to research it a little afterwards. Certainly the film focuses a great deal on Colin Firth as Ron Lax and Reese Witherspoon as Pamela Hobbs in the leading roles but it shows little light (perhaps as in the Knox-Kercher case which is still fresh in our minds) that the Arkansas wanted 'closure' and quickly and they set out fabricating a case against the three guys which only serves to show the sheer ineptitude of American justice or of any civilised country for that matter.No real acting is required by Colin Firth, he just plays the part while Reese Witherspoon does step up as the emotional Mum grieving her lost Son. The background to the parenting of the three lost boys is not explained in this film.I find it incredible that the film did not throw more light on the apparent satanic cult which was prevalent in that area at that particular time and which, had that been investigated and questions asked of those who were involved, just as in the McCann case in Portugal from 2007, there is the possibility that the crimes committed could be solved in a professional manner rather than left for people to comment and judge by social media in the present climate following release of the new evidence and the ultimate release of the three convicts in 2011.I cannot say I enjoyed this film. It is definitely not a film to enjoy but I wonder whether the film could have carried a more subtle focus for a more connecting audience. 20 years on, I sense the film was made for financial reasons but who are the beneficiaries?

Paradise Lost documented the story of three child murders in West Memphis, Arkansas. The Devils Knot goes on to dramatise and become the 'Hollywood' version and sadly falls flat. The case was so complex and difficult to take in that a running time of under 2 hours both fails to make you empathise with any character or help you to make up your mind as what you think the truth is. I really feel this was an opportunity missed as it is probably one of the most intriguing and complex cases ever with its possible injustice, combined with very credible other suspects that a lay person could easily connect with the murders. Overall it just fails to deliver on most fronts and will do nothing for viewers who are new to the case and adds very little to those who know it well. I feel it may well be picked up again by someone else in the future but requires a lot more attention and running time to really get it right.

True account of three pre-teen boys in West Memphis, Arkansas in 1993 who were murdered while out riding their bikes and dumped in the river; the slow-acting local law, while managing to botch up evidence and allow a blood and mud-covered drifter go free, focuses their investigation on a trio of trouble-causing teenage boys into witchcraft and heavy metal music, while the public seems grateful just to have faces to pin their rage upon. Since the real-life case had a peculiarly unresolved and unsatisfying conclusion, the film follows suit. Director Atom Egoyan handles the proceedings matter-of-factly; he thankfully isn't exploitative but, while there are devastating images, his cool, detached take on these crimes lacks an emotional core (which Reese Witherspoon's grieving mother fails to provide). Colin Firth, as wealthy legal investigator Ron Lax, offers the movie a reality check--his 'obsession' with the case is subtle and he's a marvelous touchstone--but the small-minded bigots and publicity-seekers in the supporting cast are hard to take. Egoyan, working from a screenplay by Paul Harris Boardman and Scott Derrickson, from Mara Leveritt's book, seems intent on showing us the town's mass prejudice--even the judge in the courtroom acts like a yokel--and this causes the narrative to flag in the second-half. ** from ****

As other reviewers have already stated the documentaries are wonderfully done. They followed the complete history of this bizarre case and are well worth a watch. Besides the first three, Peter Jackson has also done one quite recently.Atom Egoyan films are always interesting - until now. I felt I was watching a made for TV film (before the days of our premium cable shows). This had an outstanding cast. In an effort for realism all of the big stars looked like us normal frumpy people with bad hairstyles - except for Colin Firth - he stands out like a (gorgeous) sore thumb. Couldn't understand why he was allowed to look like a movie star and for me it did effect the "everyday man, retro period" look I felt Mr. Egoyan was going for. The cast is all excellent but the editing, action and dialogue doesn't give them much to do.As previous reviewers pointed out, one problem lies in condensing this complex troubling story into a couple hours. Usually a short textual summary at end of film gives you info on what happens to main characters after film ends. This summary covers decades and doesn't do justice to the bulk of what happened. The story is so hard hitting because it took decades to resolve. Perhaps the director wanted to focus on the piece he did but it almost felt like - OK, here we are two hours - let's wrap it up and write up the rest. He is such a strong filmmaker that I am sure I missed the point of why he did this film the way he did of such a well documented case.And, finally the larger problem is simply that - this film is sluggish. It isn't just really really slow pacing. It drags. It trips. It feels like it really wants to lay down for a nap. Perhaps those who don't know the story were fascinated but for me the whole movie is dull, which is astonishing given its subject matter. For instance, so many times the camera pans to Reese Witherspoon and just hangs there on the same sad look she wears each time this happens. Or, she and Colin Firth exchange long meaningful glances over and over until far into the film. Little action, little interesting dialogue, not much cohesive dialogue at all. I felt all these terrific actors were given nothing to do. Even Colin Firth has a surprisingly small passive part in the film given his character's relevance to the story.Just cannot recommend this. Definitely see the documentaries instead and then re-watch The Sweet Hereafter!