Innocent coupable

Those who rated it less than 10 perhaps didn't understand it.

This is an educational film that shows the delicate balance that the criminal justice system deals with on a daily basis.

Some girl gets robbed and gets her face slashed in a dark alley. She sees (or claims to see) the face of the perpetrator and makes a very firm accusation. The guy passionately claims he was nowhere near the place and that he didn't do it.

The guy tries to prove his innocence and seems sincere but doesn't have a strong enough alibi to get him out of it. On the other hand, the woman is completely firm in her conviction and credible. In the end he takes a plea deal for about 3 years. If he was innocent, it's a terrible miscarriage of justice that he has to rot in jail. If he did it, then the victim thinks he won't have gotten nearly enough time since he left her with a large permanent scar on her face. Both parties are left dissatisfied.

All the while the lawyers and the judges look at the situation rather callously. The lawyers seem to see it as a game for professional points while the judges just want things to move along as quickly as possible.

Encapsulates the criminal justice system quite neatly and is a perfect example of what an educational movie should be - dramatic but instructive.

Honourable Mentions: Doubt (2008). I suppose Doubt has a similar concept - you never know who's telling the truth. Or at least it was meant to have a similar concept, but actually you get the impression that nothing was ever in doubt anyway. Good movie either way and great performance from Meryll Streep.