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Innocent Victims (1996) (TV) More at IMDb Pro »
10 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
Long movie but absolutely worth the time!!, 20 March 2004
Author: pchic (pchic@earthlink.net) from Florida, USA
This movie is 4 hours long, but is worth every minute of your time!! You will be glued to your seat. Realistic litigation and court room scenes and through detective work from the Defense. It really makes you think about just how people in power (the District Attorneys) that are close minded can literally ruin an innocent man's life through their arrogance. The accused man's Defense Attorneys are the kind that ALL attorneys SHOULD BE: caring and determined to get to the truth. Great movie, great script and great acting!! I recommend this movie to all. As mad and frustrated as you might get through out the movie, the end is Fantastic. It is really a shame that this is based on a TRUE story. I have seen this movie three times and each time is just as good as the first.
7 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
realistic and well done on all counts, 20 May 2003
Author: (sacha_moggy@yahoo.com) from new york, n.y.
this must be based on an actual murder and trial, as nothing in it is "pat" or convenient. All the parts, even small ones, are excellently acted.(just read in screen credits that it **is** based on actual transcripts, etc.) It shows how an innocent man can be charged with rape and murder , based on no hard evidence.Definitely makes you think.
4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Great story, 26 October 2006
Author: pam-sander from United States
This was the last of the great miniseries. And I had the privilege of watching it with the author. A little stressful, but on the money as far as telling the story of that horrendous crime -- and how the local police department got their sites set on one person and used only the evidence that could back up what they wanted. This has happened over and over again in our justice system, and it is the reason why the death penalty should not be in effect. Too often, the ones on death row are those who either don't have the money for a good lawyer (Hennis' parents took out a second mortgage on their home to pay for his) or are in the tunnel vision of the local police department.
6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
unreal but in fact real, 10 January 2004
Author: MovieDirk from Amsterdam, The Netherlands
At first I thought this was yet another boring movie about a trial. The first part of the movie seemed very unrealistic, and I almost switched off my television. Despite the unrealistic nature of the story the acting was actually very good...and after a while I began to like this movie. It was actually more original than other courthouse movies. But what really amazed me was that the movie has actually been based on a true story! Now, I don't want to offend any person, but if what happens in this movie is really possible in the US, I can't have much faith in its justice system.
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Cold Case, 26 November 2006
Author: pacieterra-1 from United States
The actual events of this crime film are very well documented, and the actors, (Rick Schroeder, Rue McLenahan, Hal Holbrook,) are entirely believable in their characters. The miscarriage of justice that transpired,here, is only more horrifying when you realize that other "rush-to-judgment" convictions are still occurring. The fact that the final scenes and updates do not complete the story, leaves one unsatisfied, and wondering why more has not been pursued.Current forensic and technological advances, (as well as legal and courtroom proscriptions) might never have caused this case to advance as it did.This cold case should definitely be re-examined in light of today's knowledge.
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
I loved Innocent Victims, 26 October 2006
Author: csweetdee from United States
Yes, the movie is long, but it leaves nothing out. This poor family went through torture, it's worth the time to watch it. If you really think about a trial like this it would take many years, so how could they possibly end this movie in just an hour and a half. It's very realistic. This man's parents sold their home and practically their life to prove his innocents. I don't want to give anything away. Just either rent the movie or buy it, and get some popcorn, some soda and sit back and relax and enjoy this movie. Evidently is very hard to get another trial once you're on death row. Between his parents and the lawyers they never gave up.
Compelling drama based on a true story, 21 August 2007
Author: blanche-2 from United States
"Innocent Victims" is the story of what happens what the police decide on a suspect and set out to nail that particular suspect, becoming blind to any evidence that would raise doubt. For those who don't believe this can happen in the U.S., guess again - we just saw it in the Duke University case. Did the same thing happen in this case? It's up to you.
The young man here, Tim Hennis, is well played by a blond John Corbett as a man questioned and finally arrested for brutal murder of a woman and her two small children. He insists on his innocence, and his parents go to great lengths, including selling their home, and his father retiring early and getting only a partial pension, to help him prove it. When he is convicted and lands on Death Row, efforts are redoubled by his attorneys to get him a new trial and to find the real killer. This was a sensational case that resulted in a book and this TV movie.
One thing pointed up here is that the defendant agreed to be questioned by the police and submit to DNA testing without an attorney present. I think from seeing the film, people realize that it doesn't matter whether or not you are innocent of the crime, you should never, ever talk to the police without a lawyer, no matter what they tell you. They told this guy he wasn't a suspect and just wanted to talk to him. My sister works for the public defender. She says, don't fall for it. I know many people assume that if you bring a lawyer, you have nothing to hide, but that isn't true. A lawyer is there to protect your rights.
Hal Holbrook and Rue McClanahan are excellent as Tim's devoted parents, and Rick Shroeder does a terrific job as one of the lawyers trying to prove that Tim is not guilty. All of the acting is good. It's difficult for me to see lawyers depicted in such a positive light - I had a lawyer for something who did nothing and collected a fortune from me. Someone posted that they have a hard time believing this could happen in America; I have a hard time believing lawyers like this exist.
There is a fascinating update on this case if you go to google.com and put "Tim Hennis" "update" in the search box. The link was too long, and IMDb would not allow it.
0 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
true stories channel ruined it, 27 January 2005
Author: maryr-1 from United States
I was excited to watch this movie as I had never heard of this crime before and at the beginning of the movie, the person introducing the movie, told how it ended. I was floored and was mad. Could not enjoy the movie since I knew how it was going to end. It would have been great if I had not known how it was going to end. I thought the acting was superb and the evidence shown in the movie was so good and what I thought was accurate. I enjoyed the way the lawyers stayed on the case and fought for the defendant. Rue McClanahan was great in the movie as always. I think anyone would find this movie very fascinating to watch as it seems to be very factual and very full of information about the actual case. Mary
0 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
True Story?, 23 July 2006
Author: RepMaj04 from United States
Whenever I see a "based on a true story", I know that liberties will be taken with the facts, to fit the agenda of the film maker. For instance, "Voices from the grave" was a good movie, but if you've ever seen the documentary it was based on, the disclaimer should read." loosely based on actual events".
It's hard to believe a polygraph was never suggested here. And the fact that no one was ever convicted for the crime, usually means they had the right suspect to begin with. Just remember when you're watching a "true court drama", most of the time, you won't get all the facts. Chances are, this guy WAS guilty.
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