West of MemphisMovie Reviews

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Do we need a fourth film? Yes, I think we do. If you only see one of them, this is the one to choose, because it has the benefit of hindsight. Read full review

  • 91
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    The film casts a hypnotic spell all its own. It artfully sketches out the events for anyone who's coming in cold, but basically, its strategy is to take what we already know and go deeper. Read full review

  • 90
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    Ms. Berg's film, which she wrote with Billy McMillin, tells the story with unprecedented clarity. She has a dramatist's eye for what was irretrievably lost-the innocent lives of the children, plus 18 years of three other innocent lives. Read full review

  • 88
    New York Post | Sara Stewart

    This is a compelling and comprehensive guide to one of the most Kafkaesque crime stories in American history. Read full review

  • 88
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    While the “Paradise Lost” films captured events as they unfolded in the heat of battle, West of Memphis has the luxury of at least partial closure. Read full review

  • 85
    NPR | Mark Jenkins

    Although it's the fourth documentary about the West Memphis Three, West of Memphis doesn't feel superfluous. This bizarre case rates at least 18 documentaries - one for each year Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley spent in prison for murders they clearly didn't commit. Read full review

  • 80
    The Hollywood Reporter | John DeFore

    Thorny, blood-boiling and finely made. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Walter Addiego

    A long documentary that's very hard to watch - at times, it's harrowing. Read full review

  • 75
    Chicago Tribune | Michael Phillips

    A strong, blood-boiling documentary from director Amy Berg, who made the similarly fine "Deliver Us From Evil". Read full review

  • 40
    New York Daily News | Joe Neumaier

    Certainly, the West Memphis 3 deserve more chances to detail how the justice system went nightmarishly awry. But take this as ultimately more personal journal than investigation. Read full review

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