The Trials of Darryl Hunt

Imagine spending 20 years in prison for a horrific crime that you did not commit—10 of them after DNA testing has proven you were innocent. Welcome to Darryl Hunt's nightmare: convicted of killing newspaper editor Deborah Sykes in North Carolina in 1984, Hunt was released from prison without so much as an apology in 2004. Documentarians Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg present this travesty of criminal justice through a combination of archival news footage (covering Sykes' murder, the police investigation, and Hunt's multiple trials) and talking-head interviews with various participants (including Hunt, his lawyers, and journalists who covered the story). The Trials of Darryl Hunt is something of a rarity in these sorry days of tabloid journalism: a sensational story told without sensationalism that methodically uncovers the incontrovertible fact that Hunt was railroaded by the police. A disturbing, thought-provoking examination of serious journalism's power to set the truth free, this is highly recommended. [Note: DVD extras include bonus interviews with subject Darryl Hunt, professor Larry Little, and lawyers Mark Rabil and Barry Scheck (14 min.), the HBO-produced 23-minute featurette “Exclusive Interview with Regina Lane” (on the victim who wrongly accused Hunt), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a powerful documentary.] (M. Johanson)