In 1997 a bunch of journalism students at Northwestern University took up the task of investigating a death penalty case. In the process of recreating the crime they discovered that the accused man could not have committed the crime. Shortly after this the real killer confessed. The original convicted killer was released. Subsequently more work by the investigative journalist students of the Center for Wrongful Conviction helped exonerate 13 out of 25 death row inmates.

Clearly there was a problem with the court and legal system in Illinois. Due to this the then governor of the state, George Ryan, took it upon himself to announce a moratorium on all 167 death row inmates and planned for the judicial system to hold clemency trials. At the end of these trails Ryan would determine if he would commute (permanently postpone) the death sentences of all the inmates.

The documentary by Katy Chevigny and Kirsten Johnson combines interviews with scholars, journalists and students along with footage of the clemency trials as well as more interviews with inmates and law officials. Some of the trials are very affecting as people plead with the judges to not take the inmates off death row showing once and for all that when it comes to people's emotions the death penalty is acceptable by most Americans.

The filmmakers do a good job of presenting interviews with wrongfully accused criminals who have been released but have a tough time adjusting to life. But then they counter that with some inmates serving time some of whom are very guilty. It is only then are we able to see how difficult it is for someone to give clemency.

Finally the documentary builds tension toward Governor Ryan's decision to either commute everyone on death row or not. Overall, a very good documentary that covers a lot of ground and no doubt one that could have been longer.

Video:
The documentary is shot on video and presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. It looks very good. It has been enhanced for 16 x 9 televisions.

Audio:
The audio is in stereo. Most of it is dialogue driven although there is a score that is reminiscent of Phillip Glass although it is done by Dan Marocco, Peter Nashel and Steve Earle.

Extras:
There are a good many extras. First is a 12 minute interview with the filmmakers and then additional scenes including an interview and a speech by Governor Ryan and a speech by Mamie Till Mobley (whose son Emmitt Till was lynched by a mob in 1955) at a Families for Reconciliation rally as well as two 6 minute interviews with one former death row inmate and one inmate still in prison. There is also a glossary of terms and plenty of web links about the subject of the film.

Overall:
Deadline is a very good documentary about the death penalty and all the problems with the judicial system that in some cases wrongfully convicts people. The DVD looks good and has complementary extras.