O.J.: Made in America (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Just when we thought we had seen all there was to see about notorious O. J. Simpson & the "Trial of the Century" ... in comes this 7 1/2 hour documentary, 'O.J.: Made in America (directed by Ezra Edelman) ... and it's riveting. Sure, this doc takes a sobering, clear-cut look at what was the biggest media circus of recent times. But really, the trial is covered (mainly) in only 2 parts of this masterful 5-part production {each part is roughly 90 minutes in length}. We learn about the early years of O.J. (his youth, college days, 1st marriage, football career), we see his marriage to Nicole Brown, but this doc is AS much about Los Angeles, the LAPD, & racism itself as it is the craziness of the murder trial. Never did I think I ever wanted to see anything more about O.J., but this haunting documentary proved me wrong. The 7 1/2 hour running time may sound daunting, but believe me - as broken into 5 parts - the hours fly by.
Most young people today only think of O.J. as a murderer (despite his controversial not guilty verdict), but as this doc shows ... that was only one chapter of a thoroughly American story. PART ONE does a great job setting up our subject & conveying the kind of icon O.J. was over the 30 yr. period before his trial. Coming along at a time of immense racial strife, O.J. became a figure that transcended race. O.J. had even said, "I'm not black, I'm, O.J.!" From his college days, where he hobnobbed with presidents & dignitaries, to his amazing NFL career & perhaps his greatest fame as a pitchman (a black(!) spokesperson for a national product like Hertz was unheard of), to his attempts to make it big in Hollywood, he left no stone un-turned. In this early section, director Ezra Edelman shows that - at his best - O.J. Simpson could be charming, kind, personable, & heroic to his legions of fans & dearest teammates.
Yet, as PART TWO shows, once he relocated to Los Angeles & left the NFL to be a full-time mogul/part-time actor, his true egotistical self started to emerge. It is in Part Two where we see his romance with attractive blonde model Nicole Brown & get a real insight into his rocky marriage to her; one that was contentious from day 1 & marked by many incidents of domestic violence. Drug use may have also been involved, although it's only suggested (with a drunken video of an O.J. wedding guest asking where all the drugs are). Here, the 'bad' O.J. we know of comes to the forefront. But again, that's only part of the story as so much time is spent giving incredible context into what was happening in Los Angeles at the time with the seemingly corrupt LAPD ... including the 1965 Watts situation, the Rodney King beating, the killing of Latasha Harlins by a Korean store owner, & ensuing riots.
ALL of this sets the stage for the eye-popping PART'S THREE & FOUR, which focus on the horrific particulars of the murder case. On 6/12/94, Nicole Simpson & her friend Ron Goldman {who was at the wrong place at the wrong time} were found stabbed to death outside her Brentwood home. These 3 hours cover the grisly crime scene/autopsy photos, the fact that the kids were asleep upstairs when it all happened, and tries to explain why the NOT guilty verdict went down the way it did through copious fascinating interviews with everyone involved; from racist cop Mark Fuhrman, to Nicole Simpson & Ron Goldman's grieving family members, to O.J.'s former friend Ron Shipp, to a black LAPD officer who knew that O.J was a killer but was vilified by the defense team, to Marcia Clark - who couldn't believe that fellow lawyer Chris Darden made O.J. put on 'the glove', to some of the jurors who rallied for O.J. and let him off, thanks to the defense team's Johnnie Cochran; who cunningly spun this tragic murder case into a strictly black vs. white social issue. Justice for Nicole Simpson & Ron Goldman was merely an afterthought!
This all leads to crazy PART FIVE, which takes a near-Shakespearian look at O.J's post-trial life. We see him adopt a hood type of black persona since his predominantly white friends/fans had abandoned him. We see him exploit his infamy in unbelievable ways. We see how his drug-addled life in Miami was something akin to a grotesque carnival show. Really, O.J. was just doing all he could to make $$ off of that 1995 trial. It all culminates with O.J's Las Vegas arrest & current state as just another inmate {in jail for 33 yrs. for a plethora of crimes) ... now despised by even his most passionate supporters. This doc balances it all: Simpson's career & murder trial, a thought-provoking criticism about racism in America, the pursuit of wealth, privilege & fame, America's fascination with celebrities, the devastations of police brutality towards blacks, the presence of news media, the ramifications of domestic violence, the prejudices in the criminal justice system, & a damning social history of L.A.. To say that this entire story is an American tragedy is a huge understatement.
Most young people today only think of O.J. as a murderer (despite his controversial not guilty verdict), but as this doc shows ... that was only one chapter of a thoroughly American story. PART ONE does a great job setting up our subject & conveying the kind of icon O.J. was over the 30 yr. period before his trial. Coming along at a time of immense racial strife, O.J. became a figure that transcended race. O.J. had even said, "I'm not black, I'm, O.J.!" From his college days, where he hobnobbed with presidents & dignitaries, to his amazing NFL career & perhaps his greatest fame as a pitchman (a black(!) spokesperson for a national product like Hertz was unheard of), to his attempts to make it big in Hollywood, he left no stone un-turned. In this early section, director Ezra Edelman shows that - at his best - O.J. Simpson could be charming, kind, personable, & heroic to his legions of fans & dearest teammates.
Yet, as PART TWO shows, once he relocated to Los Angeles & left the NFL to be a full-time mogul/part-time actor, his true egotistical self started to emerge. It is in Part Two where we see his romance with attractive blonde model Nicole Brown & get a real insight into his rocky marriage to her; one that was contentious from day 1 & marked by many incidents of domestic violence. Drug use may have also been involved, although it's only suggested (with a drunken video of an O.J. wedding guest asking where all the drugs are). Here, the 'bad' O.J. we know of comes to the forefront. But again, that's only part of the story as so much time is spent giving incredible context into what was happening in Los Angeles at the time with the seemingly corrupt LAPD ... including the 1965 Watts situation, the Rodney King beating, the killing of Latasha Harlins by a Korean store owner, & ensuing riots.
ALL of this sets the stage for the eye-popping PART'S THREE & FOUR, which focus on the horrific particulars of the murder case. On 6/12/94, Nicole Simpson & her friend Ron Goldman {who was at the wrong place at the wrong time} were found stabbed to death outside her Brentwood home. These 3 hours cover the grisly crime scene/autopsy photos, the fact that the kids were asleep upstairs when it all happened, and tries to explain why the NOT guilty verdict went down the way it did through copious fascinating interviews with everyone involved; from racist cop Mark Fuhrman, to Nicole Simpson & Ron Goldman's grieving family members, to O.J.'s former friend Ron Shipp, to a black LAPD officer who knew that O.J was a killer but was vilified by the defense team, to Marcia Clark - who couldn't believe that fellow lawyer Chris Darden made O.J. put on 'the glove', to some of the jurors who rallied for O.J. and let him off, thanks to the defense team's Johnnie Cochran; who cunningly spun this tragic murder case into a strictly black vs. white social issue. Justice for Nicole Simpson & Ron Goldman was merely an afterthought!
This all leads to crazy PART FIVE, which takes a near-Shakespearian look at O.J's post-trial life. We see him adopt a hood type of black persona since his predominantly white friends/fans had abandoned him. We see him exploit his infamy in unbelievable ways. We see how his drug-addled life in Miami was something akin to a grotesque carnival show. Really, O.J. was just doing all he could to make $$ off of that 1995 trial. It all culminates with O.J's Las Vegas arrest & current state as just another inmate {in jail for 33 yrs. for a plethora of crimes) ... now despised by even his most passionate supporters. This doc balances it all: Simpson's career & murder trial, a thought-provoking criticism about racism in America, the pursuit of wealth, privilege & fame, America's fascination with celebrities, the devastations of police brutality towards blacks, the presence of news media, the ramifications of domestic violence, the prejudices in the criminal justice system, & a damning social history of L.A.. To say that this entire story is an American tragedy is a huge understatement.