“When Colin Warner is wrongfully convicted of murder, his best friend Carl ‘KC’ King devotes his life to proving Colin's innocence.”

The Good

The bread and butter of Crown Heights is undoubtedly the cast, anchored by strong performances from LaKeith Stanfield and Nnamdi Asomugha. Asomugha, a former Pro Bowl NFL cornerback who made upwards of $50 million dollars while playing, has transitioned into a legitimate actor which is pretty damn impressive in my opinion. I can’t help but respect a guy who chose two primary career paths consisting of two of my favorite things (movies and football, in no particular order really). Both actors have incredible on-screen chemistry throughout, and the bond they share feels genuine. Stanfield is establishing himself as one of the best actors in Hollywood.

Crown Heights tells a powerful and emotional true story, and it is very effective in doing so. The directing and cinematography is on point as well, and I really liked how they added in the flashback and memory scenes.

The Bad

Certain elements of the story felt rushed or brushed over, making me think they had to cut some scenes to get the movie closer to that hour and a half target length. More often than not doing that makes it feel like certain pieces of the puzzle are missing, and that is the case here at times particularly earlier on in the film.

I also couldn’t help but compare it to Just Mercy starring Michael B. Jordan, a superior film which has a similar story, which put Crown Heights at an obvious disadvantage.

The Verdict

Crown Heights is a well-acted drama telling yet another tragic true story of an extremely flawed justice system, and even though it isn’t perfect, it is well worth a watch. Recommended.