Change Your Image
uxoc
Reviews
Outlaw Prophet: Warren Jeffs (2014)
An eye-opening insight into life inside FLDS
Warren Jeffs, played by Tony Goldwyn, is the son of the prophet, Rulon "Uncle" Jeffs, played by Martin Landau, of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS). The prophet is an all-powerful ruler who dictates how his followers live, including who they marry.
When the prophet lays in his deathbed, his son, Warren, decides that he will become the new prophet - despite his father ordering otherwise - and becomes a more controlling, more forceful leader who shows growing signs of mental instability as the story unfolds.
The movie follows Warren's rise to power and his ultimate downfall - caused by his marriage of underage girls (as young as fourteen years of age), both to himself and to others. The latter part of the movie follows the criminal proceedings against Warren by one his own followers - an underage girl who was forced into having sexual intercourse with her husband - who testified against him in his sexual assault of a minor trial.
Warren was sentenced to life imprisonment. Through visits by his followers to the prison, Warren continues to preach to his still 10,000 faithful followers who believe that their prophet has been taken away from them by the evil of the outside world.
If you're looking to get a perspective into the life of a polygamist family, this is a good movie to watch. It's both insightful and entertaining, making for an enjoyable watch.
12 Angry Men (1957)
Simple storyline, countless twists, predictable ending
A simple concept for a movie - following the deliberations of a jury on a murder trial - delivered effectively, with little-to-no distraction from the main plot.
Henry Fonda, the eight member of the twelve member jury, votes not-guilty and asks the other jurors to consider the possibility of the young defendant being innocent of the crime at hand.
You can feel the tension amongst the jurors in the deliberations room. Ultimately, with countless arguments amongst the jurors over the course of multiple hours of deliberations, Fonda's reluctance to settle for the easy (but immoral) way out is rewarded by a not-guilty verdict being delivered by the jury.
Recommended watching to get an insight into what it's like to be a member of a jury and have to decide the fate of a defendant (if it's a murder trial).
Bae-sim-won (2019)
Enjoyable watch but less gripping than 12 Angry Men
Juror 8 is, in many ways, a Korean take on 12 Angry Men. Juror 8 is the juror in 12 Angry Men that went against the grain and encouraged the other jurors to reconsider their guilty verdicts. The eight (and final) member of the jury in this movie is also the individual asking others to reassess their decision.
The main character, played by Park Hyung-sik, is a likable and inquisitive young man who we get to witness grow throughout the movie - going from a clueless citizen (regarding his knowledge about the law) to a heroic juror responsible for delivering a non-guilty verdict to the chief justice.
A recommended watch if you have already seen 12 Angry Men but if prioritize watching 12 Angry Men first you haven't already seen it.