Film Review: Amanda Knox – 8.5/10

Netflix strike gold yet again…

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As I am a human boy man and not an ostrich burying my slender head in the nice, cool sand, I was obviously vaguely aware of the Amanda Knox trial at the time when it was going on. I didn’t know loads about it though and what I did know came in the form of what I now know where ludicrously sensationalised stories from the media.

The Netflix documentary Amanda Knox seemed the perfect place to start in regards to finding out more information, and while it isn’t the unbiased sword of truth slashing the underbelly of corruption and lies that I had hoped, it is really really entertaining.

Rod Blackhurst and Brian McGinn’s documentary is almost unique in the real crime genre, as it features extensive interviews with pretty much everyone involved in the original case, with Knox herself being the most sensational interviewee. This makes for a stark and entertaining approach that results in an already unbelievable story becoming even more jaw dropping. The problem lies with the intention of the filmmakers. Even with the little background knowledge I have, it was clear they intended to show Knox in an exclusively favourable light, to the point that it almost feels like a feel good movie at the end. On the flipside of that however, the fact that the police and the media are exposed for bumbling buffoons and disgusting parasites is both correct and poignant.

The lead detective on the case is an utterly ridiculous figure who seems to think that he is starring in his own cop show. At one point I fully expected him to walk away from the camera, only to turn back and exclaim “oh… just one more thing”. Even more insufferable though, is the freelance journalist Nick Pisa who was covering the story for the Daily Mail. Pisa is the personification of everything that is wrong with the tabloid media. His smug, scoop-at-all-costs attitude betrays how much of a disgrace the media has become. An out of control beast that taps the phones of dead children and prints stories that they know to be lies as unwavering truth.

Amanda Knox is mostly played for entertainment and in that respect it is a complete success. It is also an important film however. The police and the media failed the tragic victim Meredith Kercher. They failed Meredith Kercher’s family. And most of all they failed Amanda Knox. And yet there is no retroactive justice brought against them. Only more promotions and a pat on the back. It is a sobering and disquieting world in which we find ourselves.