The Interrogation of Michael Crowe (2002)

The police weren't looking for the truth...just a confession. THE INTERROGATION OF MICHAEL CROWE. The horrifying true story of the Crowe family whose 12-year-old daughter, Stephanie, is brutally stabled while asleep in her own bedroom. As the family struggled to dissect the painful evidence of their daughter's death, the police pinpoint their prime suspect - her brother, Michael. Every tactic at the police's disposal is used to manipulate and bully Michael into confessing to the gruesome crime. But, is he truly responsible for her vicious death?

A Very Moving and Important Film

Having just finished watching this heart-wrenching movie on television, I am now motivated to lobby my state legislature to pass a law requiring video taping of all confessions. According to the information at the end of the movie, only Alaska and Minnesota require that all confessions be video taped. To see how police interrogators bullied and coerced 14-year-old Michael into making a false confession of killing his sister is a scene of vicious abuse you will never forget. Please contact your state legislature and lobby for the passage of a video taping law for confessions. January 6, 2008

The Interrogation of Michael Crowe (True Stories Collection)

I was extremely disappointed in this film. It is boring and I never completed the entire movie. This is the first time I ever saw a true story that I wouldn't finish watching. If I had seen this film beforehand I never would have purchased it. April 12, 2007

Great Teaching Tool

I teach an elective Law class to juniors and seniors and this was outstanding for dealing with interrogation, rights, etc. The acting was well done, and my students felt they benefitted greatly from researching the case and then seeing the video. January 20, 2007

THAT'S HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS

The movie is really terrible - not by its quality but by its content. A teenage girl is murdered in her room during the night. Next day the parents and their two other kids are taken to the police for interrogation. And 14-year old Michael falls under suspicion. From now on the most horrible begins for the family which already has to deal with desperation and grief after the death of their daughter, separation in the police precinct, multiple interrogations and mistrust. Detectives don't care about the truth - they need only a confession from frightened and coursed boy. And we all know cops can get a confession if they REALLY want to...
The movie demonstrates quite vividly how the juridical system works (and I'm pretty sure not only in the U.S. but in the whole world) and this demonstration frightens. It frightens you a lot. While watching you experience everything that's going on just like it happens to you and feel real pain, anger and despair. Much of it because of a compelling actors' work.
Now we get quite an understandable explanation why most people don't like cops - because those who have power often use it not to help us as they ought to but to make their own work easier. To me the most significant were the father's words in the end of the film: "What are we supposed to do now if something happens? Call emergency? THOSE cops?"
Looks like our world is the place where you can't expect help from those whose job is to help. We just have to hope nothing bad happens at all. "The Interrogation of Michael Crowe" is very truthful and strong piece of work. Don't miss it. November 4, 2005

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