American Violet
American Violet
PG-13 | 17 April 2009 (USA)
American Violet Trailers

A young single mother of four living in a small Texas town. Arrested during a drug raid and accused of a crime she didn't commit, Dee goes against the wishes of her mother, Alma, and rejects the plea-bargain that would free her from jail, but brand her as a felon for life. As word begins to spread that similar incidents are occurring in poor communities all across the country, Dee realizes that there are more mothers out there like her, and decides to take a stand against powerful district attorney Calvin Beckett. Now, despite being well aware of District Attorney Beckett's fierce reputation, Dee enlists the aid of ACLU attorney David Cohen and former narcotics officer Sam Conroy in overcoming the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that, if not navigated with the greatest of caution, now threaten to destroy her life. With the custody of her children on the line, one brave mother wages a valiant battle to strike at the very heart of the corrupt Texas justice system.

Reviews
Plustown

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

... View More
Neive Bellamy

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

... View More
Billie Morin

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

... View More
Lidia Draper

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

... View More
Miss Naughtia

I was amazed with this movie, it has such a touching story. It really captivated me.The movie follows a young African American woman who is a single mother of 4 in a very harsh neighborhood. She gets accused and charged of dealing drugs even though she's innocent. She's an honest women with a clean record and there is a hint of racism in the air of the accusing lawyer. The movie follows the woman while she struggles to prove her innocence.This movie was touching and really makes one think about the World we live in and all the judgment we have against the people we know too little about. I loved this movie and I will remember it for a long time. Also it had some very great acting talents, a must see.

... View More
frapestanherr

Ms. Kelly was correct regarding the bias in the drug raids.On the other hand, there is a larger social issue here. Ms. Kelly is the never married single mother who cannot positively say which multiple men,some in jail for various crimes, fathered each of her 4 children.Ms, Kelly made many obviously bad decisions. The result is that she and her children receive government subsidized housing, free medical and dental care, food stamps, welfare, breakfast and lunch free at school plus free after school and summertime care.Hardworking taxpayers who make good, moral choices will be forced to support Ms. Kelly and her children for decades to come. And Ms. Kelly is just one such example.Enough is enough. This culture Ms. Kelly belongs to needs to change and stop, ASAP. There needs to be a sequel movie to address these abuses.

... View More
lynnecassell

I just watched this movie and would recommend it to all my friends and family. It is a drama based on a true story that happened in Texas. The movie is not the kind that you can't bring yourself to watch because of too much violence. Excellent performances, especially by the strong women roles, and most especially by the beautiful Nicole Beharie. The movie shows how unfair our legal system can be when the people running the show are biased and full of hatred just because someone is of a different color. I especially loved American Violet because the ACLU fought for justice and Dee Roberts, (Beharie) refused to be beat down by the system into accepting a plea bargain when she knew she was not guilty. She stood up for herself, even though she had to endure harassment and threats, but came out a winner in the end. Justice won! I love those kind of "feel good" stories. I think I'll go out and buy it.

... View More
dbborroughs

Fact based story of a mother of four swept up in a drug sweep in Texas . She was arrested and held for three weeks on the word of a single informant. She was eventually released and with the help of the ACLU sued the district attorney and the police department who charged her. A solid ensemble cast (Alfre Woodard, Will Patton, Tim Brook Nelson, Charles Dutton, Michael O'Keefe) is the reason to see this otherwise by the numbers film. Its not that the story is unexciting, rather it's that the script and direction while very serviceable never fully excite the way they should. The result is a very good film that should have been great. Certainly this should not have felt even remotely like a TV movie, something it does at times. Reservations aside this is a film worth searching out, the cast is that good.

... View More