The Crowe family are shocked and unsettled when 12-year-old daughter Stephanie (a brief, but memorable appearance by Anna Mary Wilson) gets brutally murdered in their home late at night. The police suspect Stephanie's surly, naive 14-year-old brother Michael (superbly played by Mark Rendall) of the killing and pressure him into making a confession. Michael's distraught mother Cheryl (an outstanding portrayal by Ally Sheedy) and sympathetic father Stephen (a fine Michael Riley) don't believe the charges and take legal action to get Michael released from jail. Director Don McBrearty, working from a gripping and thoughtful script by Alan Hines, relates this startling true story of injustice, the untrustworthiness of the police, and how the law can work against us instead of for us with commendable skill, taste and restraint. The first-rate acting from a uniformly sterling cast rates as another significant asset: Rendall is a revelation as the scared and confused Michael, Sheedy and Riley are equally terrific as his parents, plus there are sturdy supporting performances by Hannah Lochner as Michael's sweet younger sister Shannon, John Bourgeois as the severe, intimidating Detective Claytor, and Rosemary Dunsmore as shrewd defense attorney Dorothy Sorenson. Rhett Morita's slick cinematography and the moody, mournful score by Alex Pauk and Alexina Louie are both up to par as well. An exceptionally potent and poignant picture which packs a remarkably strong and lingering emotional punch.
