User Reviews

Some people are "disappointed" with the verdict, saying he was guilty. I think people like that only see black and white, and fail to see context. The only thing the main character was guilty of was indecision, and being untethered to the reality of the world he lived in. Watching the film, you see the main character is quite sheltered, despite living in a neighborhood where both law abiding and law breaking people live.

This naïveté of the main character is what allowed him to get acquainted with a criminal. A criminal who was friendly, charming and knowledgeable. A criminal who was simply using him because he looked innocent and was naive. When asked to be the lookout, he was forcefully told to do so, while King held on to his bike. A stronger, more grounded and confident kid, would have said no way, and took back his bike. Or even leave the bike and walk away if need be. But the main character basically did what a lot of naive teens who lack confidence, and don't realize the duality of the world and people do...he gave into peer pressure. He also gave into his fear of King. To skip this fact, is to misunderstand the whole film and to misinterpret the meaning of the ending.

King manipulated the main character. And this seduction, manipulation, and subsequent betrayal was the main character's first lesson about life and manhood. This is a story about loss of innocence. Because from this point on, the main character would never look at himself or the world the same again. That's what's good about this film. It plays with perspective a lot. The main character is an aspiring filmmaker who always has a camera, looking at the world around him. This symbolized his perspective of the world, that is now changed.

Furthermore, twenty years for being a "forced" lookout for something you did not know would specifically happen, would be an excessive sentence and miscarriage of justice. Especially for a boy who was not a criminal and had absolutely no criminal intent.

It is not a riveting story and is mainly focussed on the trial However I have to say that the lead actor was superb and I got quite emotional watching at the injustices that happen on a daily basis big sigh of relief at the end . From me as I felt justice was served in my eyes.

Yes he was found not guilty and that was just under the circumstances but the boy was complicit in the robbery by the very fact he knew what was about to happen and didn't warn anyone. He may not have been part of a pre-meditated act but his guilty feeling at the end left you feeling he could and should have spoken up.

Yes the odds are stacked against young black men in America but on this occasion, he was one lucky boy!

Good movie, well structured and the story-telling was excellent.

Steve Harman (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) is accused of being a look out at a bodega robbery that turned into a murder. We get to know Steve from flashbacks and don't know if he is guilty or not until the end.

This is a case of guilty until proven innocent. Good courtroom drama.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

In the flashbacks near the end showing that he did act as lookout changed the entire story. If he did act as lookout, he was obviously in fear of what they would do to him if he didn't. If so, he was not responsible for the robbing or the killing, that would have happened with or without him. He was a good kid, who was bullied into doing a bad thing. These things happen all the time. It is indeed a slippery slope.

It was a relief to see Steve be found not guilty for the crime he didn't comitt, it would have been a depressing film if he was found guilty.