I can only repeat what others have said already.
This is such an important and intriguing story yet it's presented so poorly. I actually stopped and rewinded so many times because I couldn't follow. Which is sad because of its important message.
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schulznin19 December 2018
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quockquock20 December 2018Seriously, either get a pen and paper and write down the names of the major characters and associate them with each case/victim. Mother, sister, prosecutor, accused etc... It will really help. Also, when you hear music, hit fast forward for 10 or 20 seconds. It's a good show, but it's confusing and it lingers on a bit. The show also goes back and forth between two crimes and sometimes you're not sure for a minute which crime they are speaking of at the time. I think they could have put all the information you need into 5 episodes instead of 6.
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icymi-3790627 December 2018I enjoy True Crime stories, probably more than I should and I also like tales about overcoming injustice.
So this show based on John Grisham's only non fiction work, was right in my wheel house.
The problem with the series is there is a lot of filler and even repeating some of the same points, so although I found it a fascinating subject, I also felt like they could have told this in about three episodes.
Therefore, overall, I'd give this show 8 stars because it presents many important points that we should understand about our justice system, it took a little too long to get to the point.
A lot of interesting characters though, and definitely worth the watch. -
Morgana03 February 2019I rated it 7 because the content is important, but the execution was terrible and that would rate a 5. As so many others have said, the jumping back and forth between cases is very confusing and detracts from the subject matter which is, or should be, of great concern to Americans. The music is awful, and at times drowns out what is being said on the audio tapes. I couldn't make out what anyone was saying half of the time. I was frustrated at the end because there was no clear cut resolution. I know life is like this at times, but I felt so sorry for Tommy and Fritz.
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kallan-771-79674916 December 2018Overall, I really enjoyed this series, which takes a look at still more innocent people being locked away for decades of their lives.
But there are a couple points of confusion: Going into the second episode, I felt like I just wasn't getting enough details. You will eventually get caught up on (most of) those missing details to form a whole picture, so don't let that stop you from watching. My other problem, as another reviewer stated, is that there are so many people in the series. It can start becoming difficult to keep up with who did what, and to which case that person is connected,
Still, I do recommend it. It's an important topic that needs to be discussed more. I would like to purchase John Grisham's book now. Hopefully it will answer some of the questions I still have. -
brandonp-2812014 January 2019These stories are very important and I'm glad I watched this series. However it can a bit confusing with all the different characters involved with these 2 separate incidents. The dramatic parts are lackluster as well but not so bad as to ruin the episodes. Perhaps a pen and paper to write down notes would help keep the stories and characters straight in your head as you watch. 6/10
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MovieShrink716 December 2018As you can surmise from the title, this show deals with a wrongful conviction. Actually, four wrongful convictions that all took place in the 1980s in the small town of Ada, Oklahoma. The story is gripping, maddening, and nearly unbelievable. Unfortunately, the story itself is hampered by an over-dramatic score and a few too many TruTV-esque re-enactments. It could use more organization and editing. Some episodes seemed to be leading somewhere but ended up largely retreading the same path with different characters. I still give it 9/10 because the story itself is worth hearing. Sadly, it's a story we've all grown too accostomed to.
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matrsowner13 January 2019Really interesting stories of two tragic murders.
Chops back and forth between the cases in an unnecessarily confusing way at points, and goes over and over and over the same details far too often. Could have been covered in half the duration.
I get that they want to make their point and case for the story, however the borderline Michael Moore rabbit punch crescendo in the finale is unnecessary. Ironic that they want to make a case that only a small proportion of the evidence made it to the trial, whilst wanting the viewer to make their decision based on their cherrypicked highlighted sentences of evidence.
Definitely glad I persevered, albeit I'll not revisit. -
chelssdh18 December 2018I have to admit, it starts off a bit slow with a lot of information coming through the first 15 minutes. But once everything starts making more sense you just become obsessed and intrigued by the story. I loved how it evolved through the 6 episodes and how every episode left you wantinf more. I can only recommend!
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AudioFileZ16 December 2018In the closing credits of The Innocent Man we are present in an on-screen graphic that 4% of those convicted of murder are innocent. That claim has more outright believability after you see the series. While the claim isn't given with reference to how that number is arrived at the viewer really doesn't think "that's hogwash". By the time you see the series you begin to come to a general conclusion that this is highly possible.
The case of Tommy Ward in Ada Oklahoma was the subject of the only non-fiction books by the celebrated author John Grisham. It is likely many more people will see this series than have already read the book. It is compelling in the finding of just how possible it is that for over 30-years an innocent man sits in prison for a crime he most likely did not commit. Although the series is a bit long it seeks to delineate the breaches in procedure and lack of adequately pursuing others who were more even more likely suspects. If you stick with it a picture emerges in which the best interests of the umbrella of local law solving a case sooner is chosen over a longer haul of exhausting all possible suspects. To do so with poor forensics and paucity of evidence opens many questions. Combine that with a manipulation of the one suspect chosen by law enforcement as the killer and a conviction often ends up on the side of the prosecutor. It certainly did here. Grisham starts a ball rolling to expose just how shaky and weak this particular case is. He soon feels he is on to something worthy of his writing skills taking them into a new realm for him of non-fiction. That in itself speaks loudly for the injustice here. Grisham, and a group of others, unite to gain an appeal based on what is available to them. Is it enough? Since the answer holds a man's life in the balance, as well as true justice for the victim, it will hopefully result in an overturning of the original conviction if the facts we are given here hold up. The bottom line is this conviction remains highly questionable imaking it one of the 4% stories worthy of a viewer's time. -
mormaya8415 December 2018This doco series is mind blowing, a heart beating fast plot, keeps you with your Jaw open since the first episode! In an unbelievable story which was thought to be existed only in movies, you will be amazed and shocked by the characters and the way things develop. It reminds the story of the Israeli doco series "shadow of truth" and makes you understand that there are so many things that aren't known to us. Just watch it, it's worth it.
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dayana42116 December 2018This is a very important subject about the innocent railroaded by the the cops and the prosecutors, sent to death row or life without parole. Unfortunately it's very poorly made and confusing.
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almostagoodsker3 February 2019I like this show but it annoys me to watch it as it is very easy to get confused or miss 3 seconds and be completely out the loop without having to rewind it, it is not simply because it is complex and in depth but the way the story is told is something else, not in any type of chronological order or seemingly any logical order, would have loved to have seen this real life story explained in a much clearer and generally more exciting way than what has been achieved here. Sorry.
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ramzi_g1 February 2019Perfect story - not very well executed. Lazy however watch it and get educated.
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tylerdrums-6278420 December 2018Like others have stated, it is indeed an important topic and I'm glad they decided to bring these two cases to light. That being said, you're not gonna get all your questions answered by the time it's over.
The first case is more of a complete case, so you get all your answers for the most part from that one. The second case, not so much. There's way more participation from Debbie's family than there is anything about Denice. Which sucks because now you're just left wondering about her and the abduction, murder, etc. The series offers no conclusion to Denice's story and makes you just wonder if it'll ever be rightfully solved. Although, the show seems to focus more on the corruption of the Law Enforcement in Ada, Oklahoma, so maybe it was never intended to shed light on what actually happened to Denice, which again, sucks.
Again, it's certainly an important topic and is most definitely interesting to say the least. It had a great vibe throughout which makes me wish it were longer. But at the same time I wish that it had more info on Denice. But from what I've read her family just wants to have their privacy and move on and they're entitled to that. Just a shame though, really.
The show is definitely worth the watch but you're gonna be left with questions and very little answers. -
bgar-8093222 October 2019This is a pretty interesting documentary that's very similar to making a murderer or the staircase one. In my head I was never truly convinced one way or another in the second case although they clearly want you to think they were innocent. What I was convinced of though is this little town Ada had a problem with solving crimes. The police just wanted someone to take the fall they didn't really seem to care who it was. That's a damn shame because it's very likely you ruined these lives. Even if you can't catch the killers you can't put innocent people in jail and just say boom problem solved we got them. You're just making things worse to save face and I believe that's a lot of what happened here with the DA. It certainly makes you wonder how often this kind of stuff happens. I sped right though the episodes it was very well done.
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Sleepin_Dragon23 February 2021The story of two tragic deaths that occured in Ada, Oklahoma, back in the 1980's.
The murders of Debbie and Denice, and the subsequent investigation that followed.
I thoroughly enjoyed this series, at times I found it a little frustrating, I felt like it sensationalised the crimes in some instances, but generally it got the message across very well.
The two deaths are horrific, but arguably this series focuses more on the many men that were arrested for the crimes.
You will have to draw your own conclusions as to what was at play, and why several mens lives were destroyed by an incompetent prosecution team, I'm not one of life's conspiracy theorists, but some of the events you'll witness here are pretty shocking.
Some of the family accounts will have you in tears, it's easy to lose focus on the fact that two women died in horrific circumstances.
It's tragic from almost every angle. How many innocent men and women are languishing in Prisons?
Enthralling, 9/10. -
lhmosca1 April 2021The docu kept going back and forth between cases and it was easy to get confused. What isn't confusing, however, is the corruption that went on in Ada.
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melwilson-8058421 December 2018Many reviewers have expressed dissatisfaction with this documentary because it is "too slow" and "clunky". Yes, it kind of drags on here and there, and yes there are SO MANY people involved, but that's because the underlying truth is complicated and convoluted. It would be an egregious oversimplification if the documentary were presented in a simple linear, chronological style. If you enjoy true crime stories, give it a go and you won't be disappointed. ps. 'The Innocent Man' will undoubtedly be compared to 'Making A Murderer'. In my opinion MAM is a more shocking and infuriating story in part because (a) you get to know Steven Avery (who himself was wrongfully convicted) and his family and you start to empathize with them all, and b) the manipulation of Brendan Dassey, a minor, in the investigation and subsequent conviction. TIM doesn't get quite as close to the main subjects and as such it is easier to watch it with an objective mindset.
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pilotgav5 September 2021As most everyone has said in their reviews The story is so important. People need to know that there is corruption in support of law and order.
But it seems that for the sake of ratings and money the series was stretched out way too long to the point that it gets so confusing. Timelines are out of order and information is repeated in so many different ways that you lose focus.
I hope someone else does this properly so that people can really see just how corrupt the system is. -
quieronikita18 March 2020There are a couple of run-around scenes wherein wrongfully convicted individuals doesn't seem to get the justice they are seeking. But I gave it an 8/10 rating cause it is a timely eye-opener that provides an in-depth look of the justice system in a small county.
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Whoopz31 January 2021I will say the topic matter is very important and I'm glad we got the perspectives of most people involved so it wasn't as one sided as it could've been. I don't think there's any great conspiracy, I do think it was very severe negligence from the investigators involved however. It's everyones worst nightmare.
I enjoyed the series overall, nice editing - although some scenes were a bit slow at times, good interviews and an important topic. -
I'm a criminologist and have worked in criminal justice for 28 years. I watch a lot of true crime shows. This is not well made, and so does a disservice to the important message. It's slow, too long, confusing (unless you make notes, thank goodness I do this as a matter of course), and you hear the same music and see the same clips over and over. Watch something else, this is far too long and simply not good enough.
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zoethomas-6403124 December 2018This series is so gripping, intense, sad and great to binge. It has opened my eyes that in reality not all things go to plan. It shows you two murder cases and how they were "solved." It's so sad how many people are in prison that are completely innocent. This documentary made me really think about the justice system. I'm not from America but it was similar in my country. A very great series!
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prlegs26 December 2018Injustice in rural communities is expanding ever so fast. We have the ever increasing gap between the rich and connected and the rural impoverished. This series spotlights the tool chest of these rural connecteds: coerced confessions, lying to the interrogated, holding back vital evidence to the defense and terrorizing the impoverished community with threats of legal action. The greatness of an artist is to see beauty or provocation and then expertly transfer that to canvas, or the video screen in this case. You would be safe in assuming The Innocent Man provoked me.