The second episode in the five-part series "O.J.: Made in America" attempts to weave together two stories. The film provides in-depth coverage of (1) the racially insensitive and abusive practices of the Los Angeles police department and the judicial system in the 1970s and '80s and (2) the troubled marriage of O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown, focusing on the well-documented pattern of domestic abuse.
At the core of the film's depiction of LAPD is the Rodney King incident. The filmmakers' decision to play over and over the amateur film footage of the beating of King reinforces the severity of the violence of this disgraceful incident. The incomprehensible verdict in exonerating the four white police officers who committed the beating speaks volumes about the amoral police department and the judicial system of Los Angeles.
The profile of law enforcement in Los Angeles was the backdrop for the substantial evidence of domestic abuse committed by O.J. Simpson. Through documentary materials (including Nicole's diary and police reports) and eyewitness testimony, it becomes clear that as a celebrity, O.J. Simpson had enough clout to prevent the star-struck LAPD from prosecuting him for domestic abuse.
The hypocrisy of individual police offers is truly appalling, as depicted in the film. One scene recounts how two Brentwood cops would knock on the door of Simpson's home just to bask in the glow of the magical aura of "The Juice." The racist approach to law enforcement in the highly segregated Los Angeles basin was contrasted with the double standard applied to Simpson, whose celebrity status apparently offered him immunity from prosecution for serious offenses in domestic violence.
One of the most shocking moments in the film was the testimony of a policeman with integrity, who arrived at the Simpson home after one of Nicole's 911 calls. The officer prepared a detailed report of the injuries to Nicole, then kept a personal copy, suspecting that O.J. would be given a free pass by the high command of the Brentwood police. According to the cop, the number of incidents and the severity of the abuse should have resulted in the prosecution of O.J. Simpson for a felony. According to the cop, O.J. even fled the scene in his Bentley in order to avoid talking to police. Apparently even fleeing a crime scene did not figure in the LAPD's brazen failure to enforce the law and protect Nicole.
In this extremely well-researched and well-produced episode, the viewer is left with disgust at the conduct of the LAPD and the breakdown of the American judicial system that was apparent long before "the trial of the century." One also wonders why prosecutor Marcia Clark could not have presented the facts about Simpson's long-standing pattern of domestic abuse as effectively as the makers of this documentary film.
At the core of the film's depiction of LAPD is the Rodney King incident. The filmmakers' decision to play over and over the amateur film footage of the beating of King reinforces the severity of the violence of this disgraceful incident. The incomprehensible verdict in exonerating the four white police officers who committed the beating speaks volumes about the amoral police department and the judicial system of Los Angeles.
The profile of law enforcement in Los Angeles was the backdrop for the substantial evidence of domestic abuse committed by O.J. Simpson. Through documentary materials (including Nicole's diary and police reports) and eyewitness testimony, it becomes clear that as a celebrity, O.J. Simpson had enough clout to prevent the star-struck LAPD from prosecuting him for domestic abuse.
The hypocrisy of individual police offers is truly appalling, as depicted in the film. One scene recounts how two Brentwood cops would knock on the door of Simpson's home just to bask in the glow of the magical aura of "The Juice." The racist approach to law enforcement in the highly segregated Los Angeles basin was contrasted with the double standard applied to Simpson, whose celebrity status apparently offered him immunity from prosecution for serious offenses in domestic violence.
One of the most shocking moments in the film was the testimony of a policeman with integrity, who arrived at the Simpson home after one of Nicole's 911 calls. The officer prepared a detailed report of the injuries to Nicole, then kept a personal copy, suspecting that O.J. would be given a free pass by the high command of the Brentwood police. According to the cop, the number of incidents and the severity of the abuse should have resulted in the prosecution of O.J. Simpson for a felony. According to the cop, O.J. even fled the scene in his Bentley in order to avoid talking to police. Apparently even fleeing a crime scene did not figure in the LAPD's brazen failure to enforce the law and protect Nicole.
In this extremely well-researched and well-produced episode, the viewer is left with disgust at the conduct of the LAPD and the breakdown of the American judicial system that was apparent long before "the trial of the century." One also wonders why prosecutor Marcia Clark could not have presented the facts about Simpson's long-standing pattern of domestic abuse as effectively as the makers of this documentary film.