Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

mraculeated The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Ortiz Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

davideo-2 STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning O.J. Simpson had it all: fame, fortune and adoration by millions of fans, a sporting icon on a par with Muhammed Ali or Joe Frazier. He had travelled from the ghetto to the open arms of Los Angeles, where his prowess on the football field amazed everyone, playing a big part in winning the UCLA 1967 football tournament. He broke through the racial divide of the time, and was accepted into the predominantly white society, taking him away from the troubles and upheavals that the majority of African Americans were caught up in in America at the time. Whilst Ali took a stand by refusing to fight in Vietnam, and two black American athletes were sent home for making a black power gesture, he soaked up the celebrity lifestyle, detaching himself completely. As his football career drew to a close, he began a relationship with white waitress Nicole Brown, after his first marriage had collapsed, which got everyone talking, but masked a volatile and destructive home life, which would result in a double homicide.And so began the 'trial of the century', with a massive sports icon on trial. But the very thing that O.J. had ignored on his way up, would be the very thing that saved him on his way down. In the late 80s and early 90s, L.A. was once again in the grip of a massive race war, with the African American community getting caught up in various episodes of excessive force from the police and instances of individual injustice, culminating in the acquittal of several white police officers in the heavy beating of Rodney King. With a heavy blow, the predominantly black jury swung their revenge, and O.J. was set free. But afterwards, his life descended into a tawdry, degrading mess, where he ended up finding himself caught up in a robbery at gunpoint in a Las Vegas hotel room that did result in his incarceration.I still feel too young to be having distant memories, but the trial of O.J. Simpson is one thing I do remember from far back during the summer of 1995, while I was on holiday in Florida as an eleven year old kid, to his earth shattering acquittal when I was back on these shores. Even at such a young age, I, like many others, was astonished at his getting freed when all the evidence quite clearly pointed to his guilt, but this served to highlight the mind blowing power of money and celebrity, and the incredulous fortunes it can afford you. With such a dark cloud hanging over his head, Simpson has never been allowed to fade into the background, popping up here and there as a point of interest. Filmmaker Ezra Edelman has produced this ultra thorough, in-depth dissection of the man, through his calculated rise to the top as a member of an oppressed community, through to the false image of a devoted husband despite the turbulent home life, and his worrying lack of emotion after Nicole's death.Even in the days when epic, large scale productions were the norm, seven and a half hours would have been a massive ask for anyone, so it's best if you prepare yourself in advance and strap yourself in for the course, but luckily it's all broken into three parts, and the payoff is an absorbing, thoroughly engrossing production, that leaves absolutely no stone unturned and leaves you feeling as though you've been on a journey in film like absolutely nothing else you've seen before. *****

Prismark10 This Oscar winning documentary is a gargantuan effort to watch clocking in at nearly 8 hours in length. I am not sure it should had been eligible for an Oscar given it really is a television documentary series albeit a comprehensive one.OJ Simpson was a black man in a poor neighbourhood who grew up to become a prominent footballer. He left behind his black roots to live a comfortable life in LA. Once his career finished he became a sports commentator and an actor. He also became wealthy. He then achieved notoriety when his ex wife and her boyfriend were found murdered and he stood trial for their murders and later acquitted.This documentary has footage of family, friends, foes to examine every facet of his life. OJ would get into trouble at high school but as his friends mentioned, he would always get away with it because of his prowess as an athlete.The most revealing think I learned about OJ as a youngster was that his father was bisexual/gay.The trial bit was the least interesting thing about it even though it attempts to juxtapose US race relations of that era such as the Rodney King beatings from a few years earlier. It is just that I have seen dramas and documentaries about this before as well the real life trial scenes being covered by television networks at the time.My own personal view of the trial was that the prosecution and the police forensics team did an inept job. Mark Fuhrman might be a racist but it seems he might had been the only competent cop on that crime scene. OJs defence team raised doubts on the forensic evidence, made the prosecution witnesses including police officers look bad and then there was the glove that was too tight to fit on Simpson. Just makes you think, if this was how poor the police and prosecution were for a high profile case, what are they like for everyday crimes?After the trial and we get to hear from Fred Goldman himself, the father of Ron Goldman. Now it is like a cat and mouse thriller. Fred angry with the travesty of the criminal verdict launches a civil suit against Simpson and wins damages. As Fred said, all he had was a piece of paper, the court order in itself was nothing.Fred Goldman relentlessly goes on to enforce the court order and doggedly goes after Simpson's assets to satisfy the claim for damages. It took some years but it led to Simpson being hit by a sucker punch as he broke into a Las Vegas casino hotel room to retrieve his memorabilia which landed him in jail for a very long time.A lot has been said of the OJ story being a Shakespearean tragedy. I just think he was a vain, shallow man, not too bright but cunning who did not realise what a good life he managed to achieve. Upon the time of his arrest for the murders, he had become a worldwide name because of The Naked Gun films. Now he is just a stupid crook in jail.

evanston_dad A blistering and engrossing documentary about the O.J. Simpson murder trial that explores how the sensational event became a symbol for the racial tension that was just waiting to boil over in Los Angeles in particular and the United States in general.I was in college when the O.J. story happened, and I only half paid attention to it at the time, so it was fascinating for me to watch this film that seemed like a new version of an old story. The film makes no attempt to hide the filmmakers' opinion that the innocent verdict in the case was a gross miscarriage of justice, but I have to admit that, though I've always believed O.J. was guilty too, I would probably have acquitted him myself as a juror based on the dismal way the prosecution handled the case.But the grossest outrage about the whole event -- I felt it at the time and I felt it again watching the movie -- is that the murders that made the whole trial necessary in the first place were forgotten amid the racial baiting and the defense's willingness to capitalize on the emotions of an angry and disenfranchised black community. A seven-hour documentary may sound daunting at the beginning, but I challenge you not to binge watch it.Winner of the 2016 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, a complete no brainer of a win.Grade: A

neil-swift-23453 Well is it the final chapter? I seriously doubt it. We all must have seen numerous documentaries about OJ and what happened or didn't happen and we all have our own version of what we think happened. Some older people (like me) may remember watching this as it happened and some may have caught up after the fact but it's still a fascinating watch.This is as comprehensive as it gets, and at seven and a half hours does cover it very comprehensively. I did it in three instalments and never got bored on any occasion. It was factual, with actual footage of the trail, and is updated with commentary provided by many who were involved.I'm not gonna take sides and slam or praise anyone but be assured, you will. No matter how you think things went down you will have a good guy and bad guy scenario and like me you will become a little louder than normal.Well worth a watch even though it takes a while.