L'affaire Menendez: Law & Order True Crime

Mrs. Shullivan and I have been fans of the Law and Order TV series from its original series starting in 1990 through to the current re- creation of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) now in its 18th season. It is no wonder that this new 8 part mini series covering the high profile trial in 1994 of Lyle (aged 21) and Erik (aged 19) Menéndez for the 1989 murder by shotgun of their wealthy parents, José and his wife, Mary ("Kitty") in their Beverly Hills home would be released some 30 years after the murders first occurred.

José Enrique and Kitty Menéndez spoiled their only two sons, and so when the murders were first made public there was no end of rumors who could be responsible for these two cold blooded execution style murders.

Unless you are under the age of 30, you may not be familiar with just how high profile these murders were at the time (1984) and the eventual trial by tabloid newspapers of the two sons Erik and Lyle Menéndez. I have seen the two earlier made for TV movies of the Menéndez murders both of which starred A-lister film stars.

In the 1994 TV movie "Honor Thy Father and Mother: The True Story of the Menendez Murders" it starred A-list actors James Farentino, and Jill Clayburgh, John Beck and Susan Blakely. In the second made for TV movie "Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills" starred Edward James Olmos, Beverly D'Angelo, and Damian Chapa.

This new 8 episode mini-series also has some A-list TV stars such as Edie Falco (Carmela Soprano of The Sopranos) and Chris Bauer (The Wire and also Third Watch). I am going to go out on a limb based on just watching the first episode that this mini series will be based on factual evidence and the court transcripts. Edie Falco plays a defense attorney named Leslie Abramson who seems to be very opinionated although in the opening episode she is not yet familiar with any of the case evidence, nor yet introduced to the two Menéndez brothers, Erik and Lyle.

A good benchmark in assessing if a mini-series is worth watching or not is if the episode(s) seem to end much quicker than you expected, or wanted it to. Such is the case with the opening episode of Law & Order: True Crime, it ended almost as quickly as the lives of José Enrique and Kitty Menéndez did. I give the opening episode a 7/10 rating and I will update my review after this mini-series has concluded.

Lyle and Erik Menendez are brothers in wealthy Beverly Hills. In 1989, their controlling Cuban father and their mother are killed in a presumed home invasion. Eventually, the brothers are arrested. Leslie Abramson (Edie Falco) takes on the case uncovering a tale of sexual abuse in the troubled upper class home.

With OJ on their minds, the Law & Order people decides to do their own true crimes series. The Menendez brothers case certainly hits on a couple of the same concepts. The Law & Order "Dun Dun" does distract from its realism. It keeps reminding the viewer of its brand. I love Edie even with her crazy hair. The actors are good. This follows only one side of the case. The prosecution and the police are portrayed only as opponents. It's nowhere near O.J.: Made in America but it's good enough for network TV.

I've read and watched everything related to the Menendez brothers' case and this movie was one of the bests I have ever watched. I've never felt this attached to or felt so much for any characters.. EVER! and that is because these 2 brothers are not criminals but victims. The things that happened to them are absolutely inhumane and they were done to them BY THEIR "PARENTS". They must reopen this case ASAP these brothers should not be suffering any more than they already have! Society and the "Justice" system have let them down beyond words can explain I honestly cannot stop crying...

Although I was interested in this series based on a general enjoyment of true crime and knowing that Edie Falco was the lead, I put it off for a while because I didn't think I would enjoy a story that was so high-profile at the time. I felt that I already knew the story and the ending, so it just wouldn't keep my attention as much as watching a story that could keep me guessing. Luckily, I was wrong! The Law and Order Series, from what I remember when I watched it way back when, shines because of its ability to take the viewer, introduce tough subject matter, and let them see what it is like in the shoes of someone much different than them. Many times, you end the episode with an ambiguity about a subject that you didn't have before, simply because it lets you see the circumstances and emotions behind the people involved, where as before you began, it was more of a black or white subject. It can only do this with good writing, acting and directing, of course, and L&O: True Crime has it all. i had to take a deep breath every time they rolled the credits on the end of another episode. It's one of those shows where you start to feel so much for the characters that you want to step into the screen and give them a hug or shout at them. I loved it and I hope the next one is just as good.

This mini-series held my attention throughout with great acting and a solid story untill the final episode. Why the 2 boys lawyers did not simply put all their effort into an appeal that they would obviously get because of the numerous errors made by the judge goes beyond any rational thinking.

Just nothing else to say....the errors by the Judge are blatant!