Terrible truth still bound in mystery as Devil’s Knot explores horrific murders of three boys

DEVIL’S Knot: Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth star in the story of a real life triple murder and the teens accused of the horrific crime.

Devil's Knot

IN the past decade, there have been four first-rate documentaries concerning the horrifying murders of three young boys in Arkansas in 1993.

As most recently chronicled in last year’s mesmerising West Of Memphis, there remain more questions than answers surrounding what really happened.

Three teenagers were arrested shortly after the children’s bodies were discovered in a woodlands ravine, and all were jailed after a widely publicised and judicially contentious trial.

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Three teenagers were jailed for the Arkansas killings on which <i>Devil's Knot</i> is based.

The trio were freed in 2011, having served 17 years for a crime it is now accepted they did not commit.

The identity of the actual killer — and just as importantly, the accompanying motive for the deaths — remains unknown.

As a lightly fictionalised feature adaptation of events surrounding this tragic case, Devil’s Knot often finds itself struggling to justify its very existence.

With so few verifiable facts to work with, writer-director Atom Egoyan is forced to adopt a narratively cautious approach.

Colin Firth plays legal investigator Ronald Lax who believes the wrong people have been charged.

At best, his film is capable enough to clearly echo the gut-wrenching sadness of the tragedy. However, any meaningful exploration of what may or may not have happened remains fuzzily out of focus.

Therefore it is really down to Egoyan’s cast to find a way to connect with the viewer on a personal level.

Thankfully, one and all are more than up to the task.

Reese Witherspoon does a fine job as Pam Hobbs, a grieving mother of one of the victims.

Struggling to make ends meet and keep her household going, Pam craves a closure she knows deep down she will never receive.

Reese Witherspoon in a scene from <i>Devil's Knot </i>before the tragedy unfolds.

Once those three teen suspects are facing a judge, Pam just wants a guilty verdict as a way to numb the pain.

Standing in the way of an all-too-easy resolution is legal investigator Ronald Lax (a quiet but compelling Colin Firth).

Much to the anger of Pam and other locals, Ronald remains convinced the wrong people have been charged.

A tough viewing experience for the most part, perhaps best appreciated by those not too familiar with the actual events.

Ronald Lax (Firth) angers locals with his efforts to find the truth in <i>Devil’s Knot</i>.

Devil’s Knot (M)

Director: Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter)

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Colin Firth, Alessandro Nivola, Amy Ryan, James Hamrick

Verdict: Three stars. A tangle of sins that cannot be undone

Originally published as Terrible truth still bound in mystery as Devil’s Knot explores horrific murders of three boys