This documentary was very biased as it convinced me against capital punishment and made me believe that Johnson did not deserve his punishment, it gained my sympathy by showing the cruel methods of capital punishment and how they would test it on a rabbit.
In the documentary it shows that Johnson’s inmates were going to miss him and believed that he does not deserve to die. The convicted criminals who were interviewed did not look like anyone that would do anything they were convicted of.
Clive Stafford Smith, Johnson’s lawyer, defending him for 8 years was under a lot of stress because of Johnson’s upcoming execution. They were great friends and he also believed in Johnson’s innocence. During the film we see Smith defending Johnson and trying to get him out of execution. He was the only person we see in the film who fought until the end to get Johnson out of execution, but did not succeed, which shows how friendly he was with the prisoner.
Johnson being on death row for 8 years made him good friends with the guards who were positive about his innocence. The staff in the prison continuously said how they were going to miss him. All the interviews that Johnson had had, was with someone that thought he was innocent. The governor certified and all, believed Johnson was innocent.
Johnson seeing his family for the last time brings tears to our eyes, as we could see how hard it is for all of them to stay happy to keep Johnson’s spirits high. His family sang to him, they were enjoying his last meal as if it was a party with laughter. In the film we see interviews taken behind bars, he said in one of his interviews that 8 years ago when he was taken to the police station for identification, the victim confirmed that he wasn’t the criminal. He was asked to take a lie detector test a few days later in a place allied Jackson a few miles away from his hometown. According to Johnson, the white police man stopped the van on a secluded road, put a gun to his head and said if he doesn’t confess to the tape recorder, he would shoot him and say he had shot him because he had tried to escape. During the interview Johnson sounded anxious due to the reminiscence.
This is a “fly on the wall” documentary, so there is no voice-over and we can only hear the facts of Johnson’s case on news broadcasts, which also showed us a debate whether he should live or die. After hearing that this shows the viewers that only the facts has been put in the film, and nothing extra has been added to make it even more one sided.
Whilst the interviews were being taken place we see the prison. We could see a building with barbed wire extremely sharp. Guards were also found at the top of the tower with guns ready to shoot any escaping prisoner. In the gas chamber, the chair had straps to hold down the prisoner during execution. This shows the viewers how brutal the security measures were even though all the prisoners are just sad as they meet their fate. This film tries to persuade the viewers against capital punishment, in a very biased way. It shows how calm and relaxed Johnson is to his execution, unlike any other prisoner in jail who would be under a lot of stress. Johnson is mostly talking with other inmates or playing chess or even playing a good game of basketball, their calm and serene mood makes me feel very sorry for them because it shows that they have no chance of getting out of prison. At the end we see him and his family having a nice get together, enjoying their last few hours.
The film was structured with a countdown of days then hours till the execution, the purpose of this was so the viewers can get a detailed account of what is happening. The camera crew got into more detail as the last few days approached. The viewers mind soon gets horrified as they test out the gas chamber on a poor defenceless rabbit.
On the last day of the execution whilst Smith was trying to stop the execution, Johnson was allowed to see his family for the last time and was able to eat something he has never had before, Shrimp. Smith did not succeed; so on the final hour he was moved to another cell so they can keep their eye on him. The camera man keeps the camera on Johnson the whole time so we can feel what Johnson is feeling. As the time of his execution approached, more people saddened, but Smith stayed with him until he went into the gas chamber.
Before Johnson’s execution we see the director of the documentary on the screen wishing him good luck, which shows Johnson, is such a good person even the camera crew knew him well.
Filming could not continue for Johnson’s privacy, but continued at the press conference. The Governor came out the gas chamber to confirm Johnson’s death and when he passed away. The look on the governor’s face shows that he thought Johnson was innocent. The Governor tells everyone that Johnson admitted he was glad it was finally over. Smith came out to the journalists and said “it’s a sick world out there and everyone is calm and collected but I am telling you something, I am not calm and collected.” This shows us how much Smith believed in Johnson’s innocence and the reason why capital punishment should not be allowed as it could kill an innocent person’s life.
This documentary was very successful as it tried to show people a message as it had shown me how capital punishment is a sick and horrible punishment. Also the final words on the screen at the end which tells us a women came forward and went to the police station to tell them that Johnson was with her on the night of the murder and rape, but all she was said in reply was “mind your own business.”
If this documentary was not a biased report then maybe the viewers would have thought Johnson deserved his punishment.
In conclusion I believe this documentary reached its goal to convince us capital punishment is not right, and if the world could see this they would also understand.
