Guilt by Association

OK, so you watch this movie which was made in 2002 and think the comments by some here are correct. Specifically I mean that this injustice is Bush's fault.

Well sorry it shouldn't be a political issue, but in fact it is. These Drug War laws were initiated by a Democratic Congress, not actually Republican.

Yes I'm a Democrat by need to set the record straight.

OK so Susan Walker, who basically was tried, convicted and sentenced to 20 years just because her boyfriend was dealing drugs. This type of sentencing was very regular during the 1990s. Both Bush Sr. and Clinton didn't do to much about. Under Bush some 23 wives received the same sentence and under Clinton the # is over 120. Mr. Clinton also did nothing.

In 2000, George W. Bush actually had all these cases reviewed and 95 of these cases were over turned.

This story takes you through one of the cases, but is actually true events from 3 different women. Susan obviously is the focus of this film but the personality is from a GA women (Daniel in the film) who also was released. Her character is played by Rachel McAdams. The 3rd women, whose name was never released is still in jail.

Its a wonderfully intense film to watch. For a TV production they did a great job with the time-line. Again understand the events are not all that of Susan Walker.

For more information you can find the full Susan Walker story on-line.

Enjoy this film.

Good story. I feel for those families that lost their time with their parents.

This was a good movie, I agree with the last poster. However, that last poster was making a lot of sense until their last sentence where they criticized the star of the movie in not being very pretty and being pushy. Huh? What has that to do with anything? It totally turned that intelligent review of the movie into a base adolescent review. In real life, we are not all pretty, handsome or meek and mild. Movies don't always feature beautiful people. I find it shallow of one to remark on the looks of the star in this movie. She gave a great performance. To top it off, do you know what the "real" person in this story looks like? She could be even uglier than your perception of the lead character in this movie. I fail to see the relevance in the actress's looks. Besides, she is not ugly. Ugly is more related to character than physical appearance. I believe "ugly" people are people who are evil. This actress is not ugly.

I had no idea (and I'll bet there are a lot of folks who shared my ignorance, hence the need for this movie to be made) that there is a federal law of mandatory minimum sentencing with regard to drug association. In this tv drama Guilt by Association, Mercedes Ruehl discovers how dangerous being innocent it can be. Her boyfriend, Alex Carter, smokes marijuana with his friends and sometimes sells a little supply so he can get his own for free. Mercedes hates his recreational activity, and she actually breaks up with him since he doesn't want to stop. Then, one day, the police barge into her house and arrest her in front of her children. Her house and other possessions are seized by the government, and she's charged with four counts of conspiracy to sell and assisting in drug dealing. Alex's friends all turn on her to reduce their sentences, and in court, innocent actions are twisted around: She took a few phone messages when Alex was busy, and once she returned his gym bag he'd left at her house, not knowing it was filled with drugs instead of workout attire.

Because of the mandatory minimum law, she's given an outrageous sentence, far longer than those who actually did the drug dealing. It's shocking and horrifying, and she has to say goodbye to her young children. By the time her sentence (which is not eligible for parole) is up, her kids will be adults. While in prison, she finds out that many, many other women have been imprisoned for the same crime: taking a few phone calls for their boyfriends, or knowing what they were up to and choosing not to blow the whistle.

This is tough to watch, since anyone who has seen Caged knows women's prisons are rough. Threats, violence, solitary confinement, and without even a semi-private cell while she sleeps, Mercedes lives through Hell and gives an excellent performance. This is one of those movies that makes you inspired to write your congressman, and it's a subject I'd never heard of before. I've seen countless prison movies, but never one where the victim has been sentenced to more years than the person who actually did the crime. In the film, the judge himself says he believes the sentence to be too harsh, but Congress has taken any power to change it out of his hands. If you only think of Mercedes Ruehl as being a flashy girl with long nails wearing animal print, this sobering drama will certainly change your mind about her.

This is an issue that still gets little attention from the media. Kudos to the writer and director for addressing one of the several crises (including health care and prison reform) that are still in shambles today.

Mercedes Ruehl is excellent as a woman who merely dated someone (who happened to be a drug dealer.) She was a nurse and had young children in the house, and once she realized what was going on she kicked the boyfriend (Russell) out.

At any rate she was arrested for associating with a drug ring. She had answered the phone a few times and merely taken a message, like anyone would in a busy house with children, friends, etc. Apparently the burden of proof for the prosecution in this criminal case was accepted as hearsay. People are guilty until proved innocent once they are "in the system". And if you cannot afford an excellent criminal attorney to defend you, the system is unjust.

We see many of the women in similar situations who were imprisoned with ridiculous sentences, some for 100 years. This is a disgrace that this can occur here in the U.S. If you like this film you may also enjoy "Against Their Will: Women in Prison", starring Judith Light as a woman who was unjustly imprisoned. 10/10 Very highly recommended.