The Murder of Stephen Lawrence Movie Review 1999

Institutional racism is explored in this fact-based drama about the 1993 murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence (Black) in London. Lawrence is waiting at a bus stop when he is attacked by five teenaged neo-Nazis. His Jamaican-born parents (Baptiste and Quarshie) seek justice but are treated indifferently by the police. Then the charges against the suspects are thrown out for lack of evidence and the Lawrences insist on a private prosecution (civil suit) that studies the incompetent police investigation.

Distribution

PBS Home Video, Catalog Fulfillment Center, PO Box 751089, Charlotte, NC 28275-1089, Phone: (800)531-4727, Toll-free: 800-645-4PBS, Email: info@pbs.org, URL: http://www.pbs.org

Available on VHS
Running time 120 minutes.
Originally from British.

Cast and Crew

Genres

True Crime, London, African America, Homicide, Skinheads, Justice Prevails...?, Cops

Screenplay

Paul Greengrass

Cast

Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hugh Quarshie, Leon Black, Joseph Kpobie, Kenneth Cranham, David Calder

Cinematography

Ivan Strasburg

Director

Paul Greengrass