“If you’re poor and have no money, and can’t get yourself a lawyer who really gives a shit about your case, you’re going to die,” a defense attorney ruefully notes at one point in “The Phantom,” a fascinating and ultimately infuriating documentary.
This isn’t an entirely fitting description of what befell Carlos DeLuna, a young Hispanic man who was executed in 1989 for a brutal 1983 murder in Corpus Christi that he almost certainly did not commit. Indeed, the film, skillfully and compellingly directed by Patrick Forbes (“Wikileaks: Secrets and Lies”), indicates that DeLuna’s defenders were not indifferent, or incompetent, but grievously (and maybe deliberately) misinformed about mitigating evidence. And yet: The deck was stacked against fringe-dwelling DeLuna, his alibi was never given serious credence, his guilt was all-too-easily assumed by police and prosecutors eager to wrap up what appeared to be an open-and-shut case — and, hey,...
This isn’t an entirely fitting description of what befell Carlos DeLuna, a young Hispanic man who was executed in 1989 for a brutal 1983 murder in Corpus Christi that he almost certainly did not commit. Indeed, the film, skillfully and compellingly directed by Patrick Forbes (“Wikileaks: Secrets and Lies”), indicates that DeLuna’s defenders were not indifferent, or incompetent, but grievously (and maybe deliberately) misinformed about mitigating evidence. And yet: The deck was stacked against fringe-dwelling DeLuna, his alibi was never given serious credence, his guilt was all-too-easily assumed by police and prosecutors eager to wrap up what appeared to be an open-and-shut case — and, hey,...
- 6/30/2021
- by Joe Leydon
- Variety Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.