Watch Indictment: The McMartin Trial For Free

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A waste of 90 minutes of my life

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

You just a cast with James Woods and you know you won't be disappointed. The story is fact based and all the more disturbing because of it. It really makes you question the US judicial system. The role the media plays is well recognised and highlights whether the law is treated more like entertainment than actual news. The really scary part is the idea you could be accused of something, then have to spend 5 years in jail before you even get to trial. I think some detractors of this film over bias may have a point, because you do get the feeling that the way it's told the whole case would have been thrown out early on. But the film is well worth watching.

One of the most gripping, interesting, "can't-put-it-down" movies I've ever seen. EVERY time this movie is on TV I cannot but help watch it. The screenplay and the acting are masterful and suspenseful- EVEN though I've seen it more than once! Now THAT'S a test of greatness- when you can watch something over & over & it still has a sense of suspense and awe.The casting is masterful- James Woods as the historically sleezy lawyer who usually takes cases that are awful and usually guilty of whatever they've been accused of. Mercedes Ruhel as the prosecutor is great because of her stoically indignant style of prosecution. This combines in the movie to make it look like initially the media *did* get it right. But then little by little things go sour. In one of the best performances she's ever given, Lolita Davidovich is spellbinding as the child therapist who gets caught up in the whirl-wind of the whole thing. Starting out with a decent motive, she ends up being the truly bad seed that started it all. She is awesome in the court room scene, as is Woods. If you've read any of the reviews here, you will know that this movie is about the infamous McMartin trial in which basically a whole family & their employees at a preschool were accused of hundreds of counts of child molestation. It turned out after over 5 years; none of the accusations were true. The media had basically taken over the justice system in an insipid and insidious way. This was actually the first time this had happened like this. (Yes, it has since happened again on a different level in a different way.) Also, the presumption of innocence for the accused was totally discarded.The way the media whipped people into a frenzy over the appearance of things and making these people out to be evil echoes some of the things that are going on today. In fact, it's very similar to the way Lou Dobbs has presented immigrants as something evil to be feared. Media... it can really warp the truth. One of the biggest tragedies is that the news- which is specifically supposed to enlighten and inform, has become so much about entertainment that it's lost its soul. This movie shows so well how things can be twisted- how the media can plant the seed in the minds of its viewers-- MUCH like the way Kay McFarland planted seeds in the mind of the children she "interviewed" for CII.The Salem witch-hunts can happen again. Be on your guard- it really can happen here in America.

The Mcmartin/Buckey allegations even made news reports in Britain such was the scandal of over 300 children being molested . So does this TVM give the definitive account ? In my humble opinion - No The problem I have with INDICTMENT is despite often using transcripts from the actual trial there is no real attempt by the script to show a wider picture as to why the children and their parents made the allegations and to who was guilty of what . There are some suggestions of course like the children being asked very leading questions by child psychologists , the DA`s office being under heavy pressure to prosecute in an election year and even that some of the childrens own guardians being responsible for sexual abuse . But much of this is never followed up . What happened to the parents where it`s suggested they were responsible for sexually abusing their own kids ? Were any of them prosecuted for example ? And thinking about these loose ends meant I wasn`t too convinced about Ray Buckey`s innocence who`s side I felt the film tried to be on but which failed to show me inarguable evidence that he was a victim of a miscarriage of justice . Maybe that`s how the case ended in real life , a decision that satisfied no one.Being a HBO production this is unlike most TVMs you`ll see . James Wood - As always - gives an intense performance of a man obsessed . The supporting cast are good too and it`s very well directed by Mick Jackson . It`d be very easy for Jackson to sensationalise the subject of child sex abuse but he keeps his discipline and confines the victims to telling their accounts from the witness stand . These accounts will haunt you for days afterwards

Oh deary me, Woods has done it again! Enthusiastic, passionate, convincing, hot-headed, bad-mouthed, pick your word.The film emphatically draws attention to the precious justice system going bananas alongside with the media. This film also warns us of how blind we can be when it comes to "protecting" children. We painfully turn stupid and allow ourselves to forget that they are...well "children".The film is very much sided to the accused family: the McMartins. We are led to sympathize for what they are going through. And obviously, the assumption is that they were totally innocent in the first place.I am not sure if any parents whose children have experienced abuse would welcome the way this film handles the case.Also, how about the tax payers who paid millions for this case? And seven bl**dy years!! The word "waste" comes to my mind. This should make us wonder about our justice system, and how they are executed.As you can see, this film not only makes us talk of the quality of the film, but also of the event itself. To that end, this film is successful, and deserves your viewing.