The movie American Violet opens today nationwide, including several Texas locations (see the complete list). The film fictionally depicts an infamous case that occurred here - a large drug bust in Hearne, a small town near Bryan-College Station, back in 2000 - the year after the "Tulia" raid.Indeed, I just mentioned in the previous post how Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa had carried legislation in 2001 requiring corroboration for informants in undercover drug stings, a bill that grew directly out of the Tulia and Hearne cases. (A documentary about the Tulia drug stings, coincidentally, recently aired on PBS.) So it's fitting, perhaps, for the movie to open the day after he passed a bill through the Texas Senate extending the corroboration requirement to jailhouse snitches.
I've not seen the film yet, but here are some initial reviews:
- New York Times: Fighting injustice in small-town Texas
- Washington Post: Wronged Mother No Shrinking 'Violet'
- LA Times: 'American Violet'
- Washington Times: Putting a face on the drug war
- Rex Reed: Finally, a good movie to see and a true story I can believe in!
- Huffington Post: A powerful movie about race and the drug war
- Chicago Tribune: Beyond the Screen: For 'American Violet' inspiration the work isn't over
- Beliefnet.com: Breakthrough Performer: Nicole Beharie
- Atlanta Journal Constitution: Cast members touched by film's story of injustice
- Los Angeles Wave: Innocence Project
- NPR: A Drug War's collateral damage
- Hollywood-Chicago.com: Interview with director Tim Disney
- Miller-McCune: Taking drug task forces to task
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