i have well over 3500 dvds and i can tell you this is one of my favorite movies. it has a story line that will keep you watching, the characters will keep you interested. and the ending... well youll see.. one of the most powerfull teen shock movies i have seen
June 22, 2008While State's Evidence doesn't do as great a job as other films (Bang bang you're dead, elephant)of it's type to illustrate the fragile world of teens and their bullies and deadly results, State's Evidence does present a realistic picture of something that many other reviewers fail to mention: insensitivity and indifference to the reality of death. In a world where death is glorified in media at every turn, the idea that the teen characters in this movie have become insensitive to the idea of death and feel that the idea of their death as a group would be "cool" is startling, but very real. There is a lack of care about the finality of death that resonates throughout the film that is far more compelling than the side story of one of the group's other agenda (shooting his bullies with extreme prejudice). There is definitely a lot to talk about with this film. It should be viewed by families with teens right alongside all of the other films in this category. These filmmakers are trying to open our eyes and we owe it to our kids and teens to wake up and really listen. 3.75 stars
March 23, 2008This movie is so terrific. It has a well planned plot and it will surprise you in the end. What scared me is that a lot of what they said I could actually make sense out of and understand. I love it. I could watch it over and over.
December 11, 2007This is not a good movie. It really isn't. It's about the caliber of a Lifetime movie. The acting is good from most of the actors. Douglas Smith is great (but his character is just plain annoying) as is Majandra Delfino. But, Alexa Vega was poorly cast in this role, and her acting comes up short.
The plot has far too many holes and isn't all that interesting. It doesn't make much sense at all. This is an attempt to me indie and dark, and it really fails.
June 18, 2007 |  | Pretentious and an ending that falls apart. |  |
Chronicling the 'final' two days in the lives of a group of teenagers who make a suicide pact, "State's Evidence" simply doesn't work. Considering it is a direct to dvd release, i was more then willing to make allowances for budget etc. but where the film truly fails, is in the actual script. The filmmakers want you to feel sympathy for these people...something which is next to impossible, considering their selfish and arrogant behavior throughout the movie. in the final act, we are supposed to simply forget that the ringleader of this group actually brought about the terrible events that happen ( in what i can only assume was supposed to be a big twist of an ending, but couldn't be more predictable), and actually feel sorry for this young man. Acting wise, it wasn't bad for the most part, though there were definitely moments of overacting. The last 10mins of the film seem thrown together as an afterthought, like the writers ran out of time to tell the story, so they shoved in as much as they could in the final few minutes. The main example of this, is the fact that one second you see one of the main characters counting out pills, struggling on whether or not to kill herself, and the next she is completely forgotten and never mentioned again. The filmmakers didn't even make a cohesive ending.
A similar themed film, "Elephant", while i also did not enjoy that, succeeded in making you feel outraged, but also a sense of compassion for the main character. The characters portrayed here lack any redeeming values....being so incredibly self-absorbed as not to notice how much destruction they are leaving behind them until...of course...it is too late.
February 28, 2007More reviews at Amazon.com ...