American Hangman

The film is done in by its cardboard indictment of The System. Trial by social media is a good subject for a movie, but not when it spends so much time smacking its lips at the corruption it's pointing its finger at.

American Hangman is college-level death penalty discourse, appropriately armed with what appears to be a college-level production budget.

Coneybeare appears to be constructing workplace dramas based on things he knows only from other, better movies.

It starts to feel a little bit phony.

[It] makes a mystery out of a few things that are too easy to guess, so it takes a while to get going. However, thanks to sharp direction, an original take on the dramatic police procedural, and a truly excellent, very game cast, the movie is worthwhile.

This modest but pessimistic drama about social ills may feel a little familiar, but the intelligent banter, a superior central performance, and one or two likable supporters keep it crackling along.

Sutherland's understated performance is terrific, but the film becomes so wrapped up in its cynicism about media sensationalism and the criminal justice system that it loses its dramatic conviction.

Sutherland must have worked on this production just a few days, and yet, he's featured substantially and delivers powerfully. This is not a throwaway cameo, it's a full-bodied role and Sutherland bites hard enough to keep us watching.

The script isn't up to Sutherland's talent, but his superbly intelligent acting is a joy to watch.