Miranda's Victim

This movie is an excellent dramatization of the impact of the Fifth Amendment which, among other things, seeks to protect an accused person from self-incrimination. It is hard to watch at times but covers an important aspect of the USA justice system.

Abigail Breslin is the victim, Trish Weir, starting when she was 18 in 1963 (coincidentally, I turned 18 in 1963) and going through her married, young adult life. She is excellent in what must have been a difficult role.

The criminal here is Ernesto Miranda (thus 'Miranda Rights' or 'Miranda Warning') who was only marginally educated and had been in troubles of various types starting when he was in grade school, his first conviction was when he was in the eight grade in Mesa, Arizona. This movie focuses on his kidnap and apparent rape of the 18 year old girl shortly after she got off the bus, coming home at midnight from her job at the movie house.

Interestingly the actual victim was Lois Ann Jameson but because it was agreed she would be protected went by the pseudo name Trisha Weir. Only later in life did she identified.

My wife and I watched it at home on DVD from our public library. As we both grew up and started college during that time it was nice hearing some old songs from the 1960s.

Although everybody has heard about the Miranda warning, nobody really knows the background story about the circumstances that led to the enactment of this ruling.

Miranda's Victim presents the story from all sides: through the eyes of the attorneys, Miranda, and most importantly, his victim. Trish Weir's persistence in obtaining justice at a time where few women reported rapes is a crusade that still resonates today as women collectively find their voices to share their own sexual abuse stories in the ongoing MeToo movement.

This movie is not just a story. It sends a greater message to all sexual assault victims on how one brave voice can have such a profound effect on the American justice system.

I guess Miranda's Victim had its heart in the right place and the acting was first rate for the most part but the movie tried to capture the 60's so hard it ended up coming off more like a 70's after school special.

The cinematography was excellent and some of the soundtrack worked but the story was an exercise in who cares-at least the way this writer told it. Could have been something special but the writer and director missed their opportunity in my opinion.

Maybe they delivered what they were trying to but for me it was overly dramatic way too much of the time and ended up feeling flat and falling flat on its face. Little suspense or drama. Sorry. So disappointed.

A beautiful tale of salvation and cultural evolution. A young lady's journey through a course of absurd unjustnesses to get the justice done for an obvious heinous crime. The revelation on the backwardness of toxic masculinity is sharply criticized also knocking off any remnants at present. Thought provoking crusade marking a mile stone of law and policing of a country. And the flawless performance by Abigail Breslin was a bonus and the rest of the cast were also putting up sincere performances. Great visuals capturing both emotions and changing imes. Great music saves the story from any dullness. Miranda's victim is a iconic docudrama that's uniquely interesting.

Historical accuracy: 8.

Acting: 6.

Dialogue: 8.

Camera work: 8.

Editing: 6.

Budget: 7.

Story: 8.

Theme: 9.

Pure entertainment factor: 7.

Pacing: 7.

Suspension of disbelief: 8.

Non-cringe factor: 7.

Lack of flashbacks: 3.

Special effects: NA.

Video quality: 7.

Great little movie. You can see where it's a tad cheap and rushed. But it doesn't have a TV movie feel to it despite in those few instances. The story is great and I didn't know about a lot of these historical details that I assume are largely true as the main facts I do know are presented fairly here. Initially the movie starts out with us not knowing if Miranda did it as the victim didn't quite recall much. And we see how the police trick him into thinking they have a bunch of evidence they don't actually have, making him sign a confession. At the end of the movie we practically know for sure what happened during the criminal act. The Miranda warning doesn't save him despite the Supreme Court creating it for his defense.

The main issue is the constant flashbacks that ruin the pacing much of the movie. At times they add a bit to the movie, mostly they just fully break any tension and setting. Overall it's a very strong movie besides the editing which ruins some parts of it. I would gladly watch more of these type of movies as I love police investigations and trials. The victim did have way too many scenes where she was just crying or doing nothing. Which ruined her character as she ended up looking like a clueless doll. Which surely was not the intention yet that's the result of too many scenes with nothing happening in them for periods of time. The camera could at least have moved with her movements to make it look more dynamic. The police officers were the heroes here delivering top tier acting and very engaging scenes without overacting. The rest felt a tad flat.