There are lots of great movies based around the theme of an individual who has been accused of a crime he or she has not committed: Shawshank Redemption, In the Name of the Father, The Fugitive, The Negotiator just to name a few. The fact of the matter is, when done well, this theme makes for a really good, entertaining movie.
For one thing, the character is someone for whom the audience immediately and inherently has deep and sympathetic feelings. In each of the movies I named, there is someone whose whole life is in the balance, as the accused may never see the outside of a prison again. All freedom (another foundational theme for many great movies) for that individual may be lost.
A few months ago, as Lauren and I were watching Daniel Day-Lewis give a stellar performance in In the Name of the Father, it occurred to me that there is an exorbitant amount of movies with this familiar theme. As I considered this fact further, I suddenly felt as though I understood America's obsession with NOT convicting people of crimes. Sure, we always scream for justice, but that only really refers to justice for the accused.
The truth of the matter is, I agree that it is worse for an innocent person to be found guilty than for a guilty person to be found innocent. After giving this much thought however, I have to wonder if I, too, have been brainwashed by our overly sensitive society - namely Hollywood.
Here though, I must give Hollywood a pass. I do not blame them. As I have already said, this theme both sells well and just plain makes a good movie. Unfortunately, I believe it is quite possible that Hollywood has inadvertantly brainwashed itself and its audience into thinking that virtually no one is guilty unless caught on tape (even then, they may have been forced to commit the crime by their childhood or something else equally ridiculous).
I have heard that our prisons are overfull. Who then is affected by this societal worldview? People in the spotlight. Sure, many people are convicted of and sentenced for crimes everyday. Once an incident is captured by the media however, the mob tries to and far too often succeeds in taking over. Just take a look at how many professional athletes and actors are allegedly caught with DUIs, doing or selling drugs, assaulting people in bars and, well, you get the idea. How many of these individuals end up in prison for more than just an overnight stay?
I admit that I do not have the numbers, but I have observed how excited everyone seems to be when Robert Downey Jr. gets his 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th......... chance; or how quick the media is to point out that the steroid allegations in Major League Baseball have rarely been proven as of yet. If I was caught taking steroids or driving under the influence, a police officer and then court of law would be more than happy to put me in jail for the time allotted for such offenses. I must here make it clear though, that my complaint is not that the authorities are willing to convict me, but that they are so reluctant elsewhere.
I have had arguments with people about the effect of movies, sitcoms, advertisements, etc. on the everyday viewer. I will stick to my beliefs on this one: Rarely does a person come away saying, "Hmm, I have decided to think this now instead of my previous opinion," but the viewer's mindset is always affected by the message unless a conscious thought is made that the show was entertaining, but probably should not be the norm - just watch Everybody Loves Raymond. I completely understand that many households have come to accept life as seen on such sitcoms as normal, but I firmly believe that these disfunctional situations have become more readily accepted as OK by society because of these types of Media. This is why I view Reality TV and sitcoms as evil when taken in by the non-discerning mind.
Should we abandon the outlet movies allow us? Perhaps - though I probably never fully will, and this is not realistic for most of us. What I think EVERYONE needs to do, is to view a movie with the understanding that this is quite possibly a very skewed perspective on the real world - EVEN IF THE MOVIE IS BASED ON A TRUE STORY! Furthermore, even if the movie portrays a given topic in a fair and reasonable manner, the reality for the two or three main characters is the reality for two or three people out of six billion that exist on earth. Just because Dr. Kimball in The Fugitive did not kill his wife, does not mean that even twenty percent of accused murderers are innocent. Again, I do not know the numbers, but it is no coincidence that neither you nor I have ever been accused of such a crime.
All I ask, is that while enjoying your next entertainment venue, that you keep a discerning mind; that you filter out the slants and accidental propaganda (and of course the purposeful propaganda); that if you encounter the same situation Raymond Barone-Romano encounters in a given episode, remember that you have your own conscience and do not have to act similarly; that you appreciate movies for what they are - one individual's viewpoint on a singular situation out of billions, perhaps trillions over the duration of life here on earth.
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