Five teenage boys. One brutal rape in Central Park. Zero DNA matches. 13 years behind bars.
Thanks to Ananya Khanduri of GizmoStory for putting this one on my radar.
My colleague Rob Kelly also ranked this #5 on his list of Best Social Justice Documentaries.
Trailer for “The Central Park Five”
You Can’t Make This Sh!t Up
- None of the five boys’ DNA matched the crime scene. Yet all five went to prison.
- Donald Trump spent $85,000 on newspaper ads calling for the death penalty before the teens even went to trial.
- In 2002, Matias Reyes confessed. His DNA matched. He acted alone. The five innocent men had already served 6 to 13 years.
- In 2014, NYC paid the five men $41 million but never admitted wrongdoing.
Watch “The Central Park Five”
You can find “The Central Park Five” on Kanopy, Hoopla, PBS, Prime Video, and Apple TV, depending on availability.
Check the latest streaming options on JustWatch.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 91/100
- IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 86/100 (Users); 92/100 (Critics)
Director’s Note: “The Central Park Five” is directed by Ken Burns, his daughter Sarah Burns, and her husband David McMahon.
Sarah became interested in the case while working as a paralegal on the civil lawsuit filed by the five men. She went on to write a book called “The Central Park Five: A Chronicle of a City Wilding.”
Release Date: November 23, 2012 (U.S. theatrical release)
Other Unique Stuff
- Korey Wise wasn’t even a suspect at first. He went to the police station to support his friend Yusef Salaam. He ended up spending 13 years in prison.
- Police questioned the boys for hours but only filmed their final confessions. Their stories didn’t even match on key d
Wrap Up:
“The Central Park Five” is one of those docs that makes me angry because the evidence was there, but nobody wanted to listen. If you like true crime stories that expose failures in the justice system, this is a must-watch.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc