While it may be about as subtle as a swinging sledgehammer, it does leave its mark.
Comment
10/15/09
American Violet (2009)
73
%
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Reviews Counted:55
Fresh:40
Rotten:15
Average Rating:6.6/10
Consensus: Though its politics are as obvious as its outcome, American Violet is an earnest docudrama about the justice system with a powerful performance from Nicole Behairie.
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Based on the real-life events surrounding a military-style drug raid on the poor, predominantly black housing project of Arlington Springs, director Tim Disney’s AMERICAN VIOLET shines an... [More]
Starring: Nicole Beharie, Tim Blake Nelson, Will Patton, Michael O'Keefe
Director: Tim Disney
Reviews for American Violet
Nicole. Beharie. Remember the name, for if her stunning lead turn is any indication, huge things are in the future.
08/31/09
[American Violet] is so compelling and intriguing that it's easy for the audience to forget they're being preached to.
08/30/09
Put on your outrage cap.
07/17/09
It does almost everything well, from the direction to the performances. But it does nothing great, dragged down by an uninspired, and oddly uninspiring, script.
07/17/09
Newcomer Beharie gives a polished performance that deserves awards consideration.
07/16/09
It's not enough for a movie to have a Black cast for it to be good, it must have good writing, engaging stories and impassioned actors. This film has all three.
06/10/09
A well-played if too-familiar story of oppression and injustice.
05/15/09
A conventional but wholly gripping docudrama.
05/01/09
American Violet is an earnest muckraker about the justice system that won't win points for style, but wins plenty for substance.
05/01/09
American Violet dramatizes Kelly's case, and does so in a way that will leave audiences applauding in their seats -- and wondering how much of the film is true.
05/01/09
Director Tim Disney and screenwriter Bill Haney lay out Dee's story with a minimum of fuss. They are smart enough to realize that the material is compelling all on its own.
05/01/09
A torn-from-the-headlines tale of institutional racism and injustice in the Lone Star State of not-so-long-ago, American Violet might not be subtle, but it's certainly powerful.
05/01/09
American Violet feels less like life and unreasonably more like the movies.
04/30/09
Movingly told and packed with powerful subject matter.
04/30/09
Thematically, there's a lot to like here, but the execution couldn't be more heavy-handed and two-dimensional.
04/21/09
...a well acted piece and a scary indictment of the American penal system.
04/20/09
...a well acted piece and a scary indictment of the American penal system.
04/20/09
American Violet is a fine film. Dee Roberts is not an abstract symbol of injustice. To watch a mother be wrenched away from her children is heartrending.
04/20/09
Raw and heart wrenching, uncovering the sort of discomforting, concealed when not buried history that in an odd trend lately, is more likely to make its way to the big screen than the news headlines.
04/19/09
Latest News for American Violet
April 16, 2009:
Critics Consensus: 17 Again Is Sweet And Poignant
This week at the movies, we've got a high school do-over (17 Again, starring Zac Efron and Leslie Mann), some journalistic thrills (State of Play, starring Russell Crowe and... More...
April 13, 2009:
Dramatization revisits infamous case of racial profiling and malicious prosecution in Texas. 
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February 15, 2009:
Trailer & Poster review
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February 12, 2009:
Catch the trailer that stars Alfre Woodard, Michael O'Keefe, Tim Blake Nelson, Will Patton, Charles S. Dutton, Xzibit, and newcomer Nicole Beharie.
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