The reason why it is said to be another way of opening is because this year there is also a TV miniseries "American Crime Story Season 1" produced by FOX Company , but the method of drama reproduction is chosen.
Cooper Gooding Jr., John Travolta, David Hummer, Sarah Paulson , and many other big bowls restore real historical figures brilliantly. Once again, the plot and the performances of the characters are excellent, and it can be regarded as a very intuitive way to understand the Simpson case.
Different from the TV series, this ESPN-produced documentary more comprehensively and realistically shows Simpson's entire process from a well-known football player to a popular star and a wife murder suspect.
It not only focuses on the wife murder case itself, but also fully introduces the background of Los Angeles and the entire United States at the time of the incident, which is more three-dimensional than "American Crime Story" , and also makes those of us who know nothing about modern American history. Learn more about the environment in the United States at that time.
The documentary contains images of many historical events, including Simpson's childhood best friends, prosecutors, police officers, witnesses, jury members, reporters, black human rights fighters and other people who came forward to speak out, from the vertical historical process and horizontal relationship between characters, comprehensively. An interpretation of how The Simpsons were made in America.
It is not easy for a documentary to receive rave reviews after its release. This documentary has a high score on both Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB .
First, the first appearance
At the beginning of the film, the director actually revealed Simpson's heart to us through Simpson's mouth, which is also the reason why he became "Simpson".
Simpson made his name in college as a legend on the USC football team at the time, in a showdown with then-long-famous quarterback Gary Beban. Throughout the 1960s, anyone who spoke of "that run" was referring to Simpson. He has garnered reputation, status, and the Heisman Award (the highest award in college football in the United States) at the university.
However, black people had a hard time in the United States at that time, and racism was prevalent in the United States. Even in Los Angeles, which is considered to be very open, the situation of black people in Los Angeles was not much better because of Los Angeles Police Chief Parker’s iron-blooded policy of cracking down on black people. The police are free to search the streets and arrest black people they consider a threat.
Black stars in the sports world have joined the struggle for human rights. Although they have gained fame and money, they know where they come from. Black people are an identity they can never erase. Martin Luther King Jr. Black athletes in the fight for human rights are appreciative.
At a time when the struggle for black human rights intensified, Simpson's sports career was getting better and better. Simpson joined the professional football league. After the first few years of depressing seasons, Simpson ushered in the outbreak of his career.
He broke the 2,000-yard distance record that season, won the MVP, and became a hero for Washington and the United States.
He also became the first black spokesperson in the history of the first American TV commercial , and he was soft-hearted when receiving commercial endorsements. The commercial he shot for the "Herzi" car rental company even led a new advertising format.
However, Simpson was very popular in white circles, but completely disappeared in black human rights activities. He was even reluctant to admit that he was black. He only said that he was "OJ".
This is because he knows that all the things he gets now are obtained after being recognized by the white society, and his identity as a black person is of no benefit to him. He is such a black person who pleases the white society everywhere, and carefully maintains his own creation. The "OJ" image.
To do so can only be described in one sentence - "Seize yourself from the people" .
He not only met many powerful white "brothers", but also met the absolute heroine "Nicole" in the future. At that time, she was only 18 years old, beautiful and moving. Simpson's first sentence when he saw Nicole was "I want to marry this woman", so that when he first dated Nicole, he was slapped with others. You must know that at that time Simpson is not divorced and is the father of two children.
The first episode also broke out several gossips, such as Simpson's father being gay, which Simpson has been keeping secret.
For example, he has been very cunning since he was a child, and he can get things done with just one mouth, which is a gift.
Not only did he rob his classmate's girlfriend, but he was taken to the principal's office after being caught gambling dice. He actually said "I just brought them to the principal's office", and then left the classmates with him and walked away. .
Second, the natural
With Simpson's retirement, he ended his professional sports career and started his career as an actor. With the contacts he had accumulated before, he successfully got some performance opportunities.
At this time, his marriage with his original wife also came to an end. He blamed his wife for his child's drowning death, and got his wish and entered the palace of marriage with Nicole.
Simpson is one of only three black households in the entire neighborhood who bought a house in a wealthy white neighborhood.
There, he turned his house into a social place, into his own palace, made friends with the powerful, and expanded his white reflective "circle of friends" .
White friends seem to like this "OJ" who never classifies himself as black, and he also tries his best to exert his charm to please them. Both whites and blacks are deeply attracted by his " Charm of personality" convinced.
I have to admire Simpson's natural ability, this "acting" is not pretended, it is innate.
At this time, the black human rights movement was entering a more radical period. The "39th Street and Dalton Intersection Incident" , "Rodney King Incident" and "Natasha Hales Incident" gradually ignited the anger of the black masses .
Coupled with the inappropriate response of the police chief, armed conflict finally broke out among black people.
The most ridiculous thing is that when the conflict occurred, the Los Angeles police, who have always been known for their strict discipline, were unaware and responded slowly. The police station was besieged, and the police were asked to stay in the police station. There was nothing to do in the face of this emergency. , lose face.
It is in such an environment that Simpson still lives a "isolated" life. Of course, he is isolated from the human rights movement of black people. He is busy trying to please white nobles and ignores the situation of black people.
The career is booming, and people are more inflated, thinking that they are omnipotent. He started to mess around outside, kicked and punched Nicole, and controlled Nicole's life and personality. Several times Nicole called the police, but the police didn't even believe Nicole, and they didn't even leave a criminal record.
At first, Nicole was lucky, but over time, she finally couldn't stand it and asked Simpson for separation. Simpson ostensibly agrees, but is actually still stalking Nicole in an attempt to control her.
His domestic violence against Nicole can be described as perverted. Even when Nicole has a new boyfriend, he will follow him all night and threaten Nicole the next day.
The manipulative Simpson swells under the phantom of his own "success," believing he can do anything.
The fox's tail finally leaked out, showing its true nature .
Three, the incident
On the night of June 12, 1994 , the heroine Nicole and a model and restaurant waiter , Goldman , were murdered in Nicole's mansion. The scene was extremely tragic. The two bodies in the corridor were covered with blood.
Both of them were injured by knives, including more than 30 knives in Goldman's body, Nicole's head was also injured by a blunt weapon, and both of them were brutally slit their throats, and Nicole's throat was almost cut off. Important evidence was found at the scene - bloody gloves .
After receiving the call, the police went to the home of Nicole's ex-husband Simpson and wanted to notify Simpson. Accidentally found a white Hummer at the door and blood on the driveway. No one answered at home. The police thought that Simpson might also suffer an accident, so they climbed the wall and entered Simpson's home.
As a result, after questioning Simpson's tenant Kitu, it was found that something was wrong, so Police Officer Pullman began to search around the house and found a glove that was identical to the crime scene .
So the police contacted Simpson himself, who was already in Chicago, and asked him to come to the police station to participate in the investigation.
Since then, the Los Angeles police have embarked on a series of ironic actions that have made a lot of appearances. At the same time, it also left countless excuses and loopholes for the defense lawyer team in future trials. In the case of seemingly overwhelming evidence, they were finally acquitted by the police's mistakes.
The first was the police’s first cross-examination. Although Simpson’s explanation was full of loopholes and hesitating, the Los Angeles police seemed to be very caring for this “heartbeat”, and they did not conduct any content interrogation, and hastily released him home. middle.
Based on a series of clues, the police clarified Nicole 's whereabouts that night, and the facts explained by Simpson made his suspicion more serious. Almost everyone in the police believed that Simpson did it.
After discussing with Simpson's lawyer, the police decided to let Simpson go to the police station to surrender, and even prepared a press conference, but the police once again disgraced themselves- Simpson escaped!
Then everyone saw the famous scene. Simpson's white Hummer was galloping on the highway, and the police car kept a distance behind it. Instead of ramming or blocking the black fugitives in the past, it seemed that the police car was escorting President in general.
This became the most famous live TV case of all time, with helicopters hovering over Los Angeles, and TV stations rolling live broadcasts of what was captured by the helicopters, with every move by the police on camera.
The most speechless thing is that more and more Simpson supporters began to gather on both sides of the highway. They held up signs or home cameras, lest the world would be chaotic, and the whole Los Angeles fell into a carnival .
After several hours of confrontation with the police, Simpson finally put down his gun and was taken away at the door of his mother's house, at a time when reporters, TV stations and onlookers surrounded the street. This case has been over-involved by the media and the public from the very beginning. Although the police and prosecutors have a lot of evidence, it seems that they have been gradually kidnapped by the media and the public, and it is difficult to ride a tiger.
Finally entered the trial stage, Simpson hired a team of lawyers called the dream team, including lawyer Pisharo hired by many Hollywood stars , former top defense lawyer Avery Bailey , black American human rights lawyer Johnny Cochran He introduced the racist card into the trial of the case), Harvard Law School professor Ellen Dehwitz , genetic fingerprint gene expert Barry Sheke , criminal investigation expert Peter Neufeld and others.
The prosecution is the female prosecutor Maria Clark . In fact, at the beginning, the prosecution had another white prosecutor partner Clark, but in order to consider the black factor in the jury, the prosecution selected the black prosecutor Chris as the Clark's partner. (It turns out he's still too tender)
From the time the jury was selected, the prosecution was already at a disadvantage. Polls show that the female prosecutor, Clark , is extremely poorly recognized among black women, possibly because of her overly masculine appearance, plus her strong personality, or because of her white identity. But there were eight black women on the jury.
For the sake of their votes among black people, the local prosecutor chose to place the case trial in the city center, which directly led to the fact that the number of black people on the jury would never be small. If the trial location was changed to a wealthy suburban area, Whites will make up the majority. Unfortunately, due to public opinion and his own consideration, he did not choose to fight for a trial in a court in the suburbs.
The judge in charge of the case, Japanese-American Judge Ito , also made many puzzling decisions, such as taking a jury map to visit Simpson's house, but it wasn't the scene of the crime at all?
Simpson's team used this opportunity to remake all the decorations in the home. The photos were all pictures of Simpson with black people, and the decorations were also African-style to please the black members of the jury.
And all this happened under the eyes of the prosecution, who had no power to fight back.
In the subsequent interrogation, Simpson's lawyer team, who had previously been unable to use the racial card, began to play the racial card in an attempt to shift the focus of the case to the track of the persecution of blacks by the white police.
At this time, the black prosecutor Chris , who was temporarily arranged, made another foolish move. In order to prevent the Simpson lawyer team from using the remarks of the police witness Pullman, he proposed to appear and use the word "Nigger" in court .
The defense lawyers couldn't believe their ears. The means the defense had always wanted was actually proposed by the prosecution first, so they went with the flow, and the situation became more and more unfavorable for the prosecution.
4. Escape
The prosecution initially planned to use Nicole's domestic violence evidence to create a violent and controlling image of Simpson, and to find out Nicole's suicide note, which described the contents of the accident that she might suffer, and concluded that Simpson killed him. wife's motives.
It's a pity that the jury didn't seem to be at all interested in what happened to Nicole, and some jury members even said that if he abuses you at home, you should leave him . They believed that Nicole was also responsible for the domestic violence, and the fact that Nicole was beaten did not impress them.
At this time, the court began to slander and slander each other that we are familiar with. Various means were used, especially the team of lawyers of the Dream Team hired by Simpson, who were very good at using the scene in the court to influence the jury. .
As for Simpson's former friends who participated in the testimony, the Simpson team also tried their best to slander and never be soft-hearted.
The media and the public are paying unprecedented attention to the case, the news has been rolling, and everyone in the courtroom, whether defense lawyers, prosecutors, or judges, has become a celebrity on TV.
It can be said that the Simpson case opened a precedent for the national television broadcast of court hearings , and it is also part of the reason why this case is called the case of the century . The voice of the media gradually began to affect the debate in the courtroom, and the court hearing process seemed to be getting further and further away from the case itself.
As the court hearing progressed, Simpson's lawyer team dug up more content, and the evidence that the police and the prosecution believed to be conclusive were refuted by the defense one by one.
Some of the police's mindless mistakes in the evidence collection process were caught by the defense lawyers. Although there is no direct evidence that the police had the intention to frame Simpson in the case, the police's repeated slaps in the face still made the wind begin to move towards the police. Simpson's direction tilted.
Even the DNA evidence that was considered the most favorable at the time was questioned by the defense because of the poor custody of the evidence by the police, and the credibility of the evidence was greatly reduced.
Even the prosecutors said they couldn't understand the police's law enforcement process. How could they be so arbitrary?
The most unfavorable witness loophole for police and prosecutors has finally been found by the Simpson team. That was Inspector Pullman .
He has a record of racial rhetoric in his previous military service, and even more so since he became a police officer, and there is plenty of evidence that he is at least a racist person.
This is exactly what the Simpson team wants, and their race card finally has an optimal focus, that is, the persecution of black star athletes by racist police.
The most important evidence of the gloves is in the hands of the racist cop, which is most likely the prop he used to frame Simpson.
Defense attorneys used this to slap themselves. If he says he has not made racial remarks, he is lying and perjuring; if he does, he is racist.
Then came the most deadly evidence - the tape , Pullman gave an interview before, the interview was full of contemptuous words and contempt for black people.
This blows the pot, all the focus has turned to Pullman, people no longer pay attention to the case itself, and the whole case is completely led by racist remarks.
In the Pullman trial, for the first time in American history, the police used the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution (citizens cannot testify against themselves), which is actually an indirect affirmation of their own racial speech.
And Simpson's state has changed from lifeless at the beginning of the trial to full of ambition. He even started a signature business in prison, and he can make money in prison.
These factors do not directly prove Simpson's innocence, but the straw that killed the prosecution still appeared.
Gloves ended up being the center of attention, and our young prosecutor, Chris , couldn't stand the other side's aggressive approach, hoping that the judge would agree to let Simpson wear the gloves at the time of the crime.
The rest of the story is probably familiar to many people, and the gloves cannot be worn at all. Simpson exaggerated the process of not wearing gloves in the way he is best at.
At the time of the final closing statement, the prosecutor, who was full of ambition at the beginning, was lifeless and has no fighting spirit, and ended his closing statement hastily.
The defense lawyers, who are good at inciting emotions, stick to the brand of racism, and even call Pullman Hitler to influence the jury's decision-making.
And left the famous closing statement "If it doesn't work, you have to let him go!"
5. Self-inflicted blame
After the trial is over, it is time for the jury to conduct collegial deliberations. Everyone feels that they have to wait, because according to the usual practice, a week-long trial usually requires one day of collegiality.
But to everyone's surprise, the jury reached a consensus in just one morning .
How can it be so fast? The answer may only be known by the jury members themselves, but judging from the statements of the two jury members in the past, the excessively long trial process made these jury members who were isolated in small hotels every day miserable. This may be the reason for this. One of the reasons for the quick agreement.
When the day when the verdict was prepared, the entire United States and even the rest of the world focused on the court, but the result was beyond people's expectations - Simpson was innocent!
Everyone was stunned, and the Simpson lawyers couldn't believe this fact. Almost all white people found it incredible, and almost all black people were excited about the result.
Simpson himself clenched his fists and celebrated the victory as he did in football games.
The significance of the case itself has risen to the height of the revenge of the black race against the white people.
There are also dispassionate people who worry that such an outcome will lead to even greater hatred between blacks and whites.
Some people don't think this is a victory for black rights, just a rich OJ's victory over the judicial system, because he hired a fantastic team of lawyers, and ordinary blacks don't have such good luck.
Poor black prosecutor Chris risked ruining his reputation and his career, only to lose, and was almost heartbroken.
Although Simpson won, he thought he could go back to his original life, still in accordance with the original way of life, and go on at ease .
It's a pity that things are not what he thought. He has already betrayed his family and left, and the first thing he started is his dream team of lawyers.
Then came his former best friend, and for a moment everyone seemed to leave him, and he was no longer the dazzling star, but a fugitive who escaped charges.
At this time, it was the black group who accepted and helped him, the black group he was never willing to pay any attention to, the black role he was never willing to admit, so that he still had someone to help him in difficult times.
But like I said before, he's used to playing in the white world, and he won't play in the black world at all. Although he is also very hardworking, others are not fools. He is not black, and never has been.
Simpson, who originally lived in a white neighborhood, was also protested by his neighbors, asking him to leave the neighborhood.
After ending the criminal case and starting the trial of the civil case, Simpson performed triumphantly in the civil court, completely taking it seriously.
Because he knows that no matter how much compensation a civil case is, it is only a judgment , and he can use various means not to enforce the judgment.
Simpson hired a team to transfer his income and property, and he contacted family and friends to take most of the valuables away before the court went to his house to seal the property.
Simpson can only make money by going acupoints and participating in vulgar entertainment shows. Although there are quite a few, it still does not have as much income as before.
What is even more unexpected is that he actually came up with a book about the murder of his wife, the title of the book is "If I did it" (if I did it) , and he is crazy for making money.
In the words of the reporter who interviewed him, "he has fallen."
It may be that he was obsessed with money, and when he got someone selling his private collection, he actually assembled a group of people pretending to trade, but actually going to "robbery" to get back what should belong to him.
Unfortunately, the gang of brothers was a mob, and an unsuccessful deal turned into an "armed robbery" due to a pistol and coercion .
When it came time for the trial, his so-called brothers turned to witnesses, and no one wanted to go to jail for Simpson.
To escape two counts of first-degree murder and end up in jail for "armed robbery" is too dramatic.
When the judge pronounced the verdict, he deliberately chose the date on the 13th anniversary of the verdict of "Simpson's Wife Killing Case" , which is simply fate.
At this point, Simpson successfully put himself in prison, and he got the punishment he deserved.
His success is a typical American dream success, and his fall is also an American tragedy .
Simpson's success and fall, both thanks to his character, is also constrained by his character.
Times make heroes, and in that era, he is not only Simpson, he also represents the black group that has been suppressed by white people for many years.
It's a pity he's no longer the "OJ" that can do everything on the court, Simpson has been "running" all his life, on the court, in business, on TV shows and even when he is chased by the police, but now he can be fine in prison of rest.
All these gains and punishments can only be described as "blame oneself" .
The original article was published on my WeChat public account: Movies to Jie Worry about Grocery Store
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