Synopsis:

In March of 1981, Atlanta, Georgia saw the murders of well over 75 Black male children. All published reports identified Wayne Williams as the murderer even though he was never convicted for the deaths of even one of Atlanta's murdered babies. On a tip provided by an Atlanta Councilwoman, two reporters from SPIN magazine went down to Atlanta and with the help of a retired law enforcement officer, worked to uncover the truth about the murders and more importantly the names of the murderers and other involved parties. The tale they tell is both gruesome and heart-wrenching. Even with the enormous amount of time that had passed since the Criminal investigation and Williams' conviction, their work was met with less than enthusiastic responses by both the City of Atlanta and the local and Federal agencies involved in the case. Without the solid investigative base they assumed they'd receive, their attempts at unraveling the truth about the murderer(s) was tantamount to chasing phantoms. Unwilling to be deterred by the lack of support and the threats upon their persons, the two pressed on against the odds to open the door on a secret, Atlanta and indeed the State of Georgia never wanted told.

Audio/Video:

The audio is presented in a DD2.0 platform that more than adequately conveys the film's aural information. The film on the whole is dialogue driven and as such has no surround effects to speak of. The dialogue is all easily understood. The video portion of the film is presented in a full-frame format. The colors are rich and vibrant and the skin tones are accurate. I did not notice any scratches or flecking within the print.

Extras:

The extras for the film are trailers for several other SHOWTIME features as well as interviews with both Gregory Hines and Jim Belushi. The interviews are roughly 2-3 minutes apiece and are focused on the direction each actor undertook to get the desired final presentation.

Overall:

I remarked to my wife that before we had children, I could watch films about kids and not have any problems whatsoever. Now, when I see a child injured or killed in a film, it definitely bothers me. That having been said. While Echo of Murder/Who's killing Atlanta's Children? (original title) is very gripping and a solidly acted story, its basis in reality presented something of a problem for me. Much like The Pledge, Echo of Murder is an intense experience that leaves you a little jarred at its conclusion. As we are all still reeling from the events of September 11th, maybe the thought of murdered children cuts a little too close too home. In any event, it is a solid film with great deliveries from all involved. Recommended