Movie

Indictment: The McMartin Trial

1995 · 135 min

A gripping, infuriating courtroom drama that exposes how hysteria and ambition can destroy innocent lives.

Directed by: Mick Jackson
Genres: Tv movie, Drama
Starring: James Woods, Mercedes Ruehl, Lolita Davidovich

Overview: The McMartin family's lives are turned upside down when they are accused of serious child molestation. The family run a school for infants. An unqualified child cruelty "expert" videotapes the children describing outrageous stories of abuse. One of the most expensive and long running trials in US legal history, exposes the lack of evidence and unprofessional attitudes of the finger pointers which kept one of the accused in jail for over 5 years without bail.

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Directed by: Mick Jackson
Genres: Tv movie, Drama
Starring: James Woods, Mercedes Ruehl, Lolita Davidovich

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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: darkstrength 3 of 3
tensestrength 2 of 3
earneststrength 2 of 3
cynicalstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: justice
corruption
deception
family
trauma
Places: workplace
school
Era: period
Audience: adult
Form: true story
procedural
Content intensity: Gore none
Language mild
Violence mild
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	1
Horror	2
Humour	2
Realism	9
Romance	1
Tension	7
Darkness	8
Complexity	7
Emotional weight	8

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