Anatomy of a Hate Crime

I really enjoyed this made for TV MTV special; and I thought it was a fairly accurate depiction of the real life tragedy. I could have done without the first person comments (supposedly coming from the late Matthew Sheppard) as we don't really know what he would be saying. As for the acting, I'll give a big thumbs up to actor Ian Somerhalder who played the part of one of the murders, Russell Henderson. He played the part so well in fact that I almost found myself feeling some sympathy for the character (Henderson) who was more or less bullied by the other perpertrator who actually did the killing. Somerhalder is just hard to dislike I suppose. The other killer was easy enough to dispise though. Overall, I would give the movie an 8 of 10 rating; now if MTV will just put it out on DVD/VHS.

"Don't forget me" is the message of this film about the American tragedy of bigotry and violence.

Matthew Shepard is pictured as a lonely, scared boy trying to connect with people despite his feelings of isolation caused by his homosexuality and HIV status. He hides himself in anti-depressants and alcohol. His attackers are pictured as two lonely, crude, unfocused boys who hide in drugs and macho swagger. Because of his loneliness, Matthew walks right into a deathtrap.

The film uses an unusual method of having Matthew narrate the story of his death after he died. The bittersweet tag line "Don't forget me" is a plea to sanity. The fact that MTV broadcast this film as part of a year-long program to get young people more aware of their own rights and the right of others seems to me to be one of the many good things that has come from the tragedy of Matthew Shepard's death.

This was a very good movie and I'm glad that people know the truth about what happened that night. The one thing that sticks out in my mind, however, was when one of Matthew's killers, particularly, the guy who did the attack, spewed all that garbage about Matthew feeling his leg and all that when it clearly shows that that never happened. It just made me sick that someone could attack someone just because they're gay or whatever and not only show no remorse but also lie about what happened. I was glad that that big Mexican guy walloped him with a lead pipe because that indicated that what goes around comes around. I hope Matthew is at peace now and that his family and friends have found the will to go on.

I knew i was in trouble when:

A) MTV was making a hate crime movie & B) It was about the new posterchild for hate crime, Matthew Shephard.

Okay, I didn't expect Oscar caliber material (nor did I expect daytime emmy caliber material) but this was bad. Never mind the inaccuracies pointed out by other IMDB users. To annoint Matty as a saint is downright insulting to the audience, telling us what WE should feel. Just because this is based on a true story doesn't mean the director should forget the fundamentals of filmmaking and not concentrate on storytelling or characterization. Why should we feel sorry for Matt? This movie didn't tell me why I should feel bad for him. What, cuz he's gay? I'm not gay so I don't relate, thus it is the director's job to make the character seem human and give him a pitiable side, make him likable. To make him angelic is just insulting to the viewer. Oh, and make the killers out to be stereotypical bad guys? Poor writing. Of course the murderers were slime, but to make them outright cartoony is laughable and brings the production down. How about showing us insight on the criminals? Who they are, what they do for a living, and then show us why the night of the murder had such a HUGE impact. To hide behind the "he was murdered because he was gay" is a cop out. And what is a hate crime? Aren't all crimes hate? Isn't a murder of any caliber hate? Why should ones life not be more important just because he isn't gay? Just my two cents, not meant to be overtly political. BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD DO AMERICA still remains MTV's best movie (and that's more atributed to Mike "I had it, now I don't" Judge than it is to the corporate bigwigs at MTV)

This movie, based on the actual events about the murder of Matthew Shepard, started off well-meaning. But the ambiguous acting job by the title character didn't make you really CARE about him at all. While the message of the movie is a good one, it did come off a little preachy. Could a movie about respecting another's sexuality come off as anything but, though? .. I believe, actually, it could. Despite that, it's still a good, worthwhile flick that I believe everyone should have to see.