American Crime Story

DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:

TL;DR: The series surpasses anything the franchise has done before, and is the best thing on television right now. Cannot wait to see what they do with Clinton-Lewinsky.

I remember the moment of the OJ verdict vividly. School stopped, the teacher wheeled in a giant television set from the AV room, and we all watched in hushed silence as the Juice was found not guilty on that fateful day.

It was a perfect storm for public interest: a superhuman celebrity athlete, racism, and at the heart of it all, a beautiful blonde, savagely murdered on the street outside a run-down condo in Brentwood. The relationship between media and the public was forever changed by this landmark trial.

The timing was unique in that it was in the aftermath of the Los Angeles riots, which themselves were closely tied to the beating of Rodney King. Newscasts noted the specter of rioting if OJ was found guilty, giving the events of the trial a gravity that was not lost on either side.

The strength of this series is the acting, with character performance working at a level rarely seen on television — it rivals the Sopranos in authenticity with hints of Making a Murderer in its documentary style editing. Despite my being well acquainted with the events (as undoubtedly most everyone is) the series held me glued to my seat, feeling like I didn’t know what was coming next.

As OJ, Cuba Gooding Jr carries the troubled pregnancy of that moment in history with brilliance — though a few inches short — and will certainly be nominated for an Emmy. Vance as Cochran echoes the lawyer’s mannerisms and subtleties with dramatic flair. And Travolta as Robert Shapiro is the quintessential Hollywood lawyer, perhaps in part informed by the actor’s own past legal difficulties with the entertainment industry. An unexpectedly strong performance comes from David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian, giving the lawyer a warmth that was often missing from his television interviews during and after the trial. Schwimmer does a good job of dissociating himself from the more typecast roles that he has played since his time on Friends, though a few echoes are inevitable.

The true stand out, however, is Paulson. She holds in the electricity and tragedy of Marcia Clark with piano string tension, brandishing her half-lit cigarette like a torch as she tries to find her way through a hall of mirrors created by some of the greatest legal minds of her generation. She is the perfect Desdemona to Cochran’s Othello, constantly finding herself swept up in a maelstrom, the full scope of which nobody at the time could fully grasp.

There is yet a sixth major player in the series, at first subtle, but which develops a more defined role as events unfold — the cameras themselves. They are often the focus of attention, particularly inside the courtroom, and the weight of their gaze rests heavily on everyone involved with the trial. A scene where Judge Ito proudly shows Dominick Dunne a signed picture sent to him by Arsenio Hall cuts to the quick; few are immune to the impact of celebrity.

The series also has moments of comedic genius. Watching a young Chloe and Kim running around Nicole Brown’s funeral, or remembering the inane stupidity of Kato Kaelin, always the bewildered squirrel next to a highway accident, provide well timed moments of levity amidst a dark and hauntingly accurate portrayal of three people who seemed to have everything, then lost it all.

The show does not give easy answers. It goes deeper, and in so doing, brilliantly captures the tension and uncertainty of the time. More importantly, it does what only great art can do — it forces us to look in the mirror and ask ourselves, how far have we really come?

– I enjoy sandwiches

Everyone is cast perfectly in this, except O.J. himself, although I like Cuba Gooding Jr. as an actor, he did not fit the role of O.J……I would have cast Carl Weathers (Apollo Creed) in the role……however Sarah Paulson really embodies the role of Marcia Clark & Courtney Vance reminds us of Johnny Cockran, but the real standout is Sterling K. Brown as Christopher Darden…….they could not have picked a better actor to play Darden, John Travolta does o.k. as Robert Shapiro, but is a little over the top at times & David Scwhimmer is perfect as Robert Kardasian……
This mini-series pretty much follows the O.J. trial starting with the night of the murders & ending with his acquittal, it is an in depth look as to the effects the trial had on all those involved & is quite compelling…..highly recommend this one to those interested in the case.

-Roman85

God, this is good. I was there when this was happening, from the televised Bronco chase all the way to the verdict. Watching the remake of this in Ryan Murphy’s capable hands was enlightening, especially when so many other directors have attempted the same with only B movie results.

I initially thought it was going to be a (well made) summary of what happened, but it was more than that, adding background to the story and it’s players, as well as nuance and depth to the characters. It is easy to suspend our reality and watch these characters as though they are the real people they represent–Judge Ito, Johnny Cochran, even the jurors. Sara Paulson was stellar as Marcia Clark, and the rest of the cast–down to the more minor characters–were well cast, although I will admit the acting of Travolta as Shapiro was slightly clunky and seemed off point somehow.

They really knew what they were doing, stylistically, when making this. At least one time I got chills and felt like I was thrown back in the 90’s, if only for a moment. That shows excellent attention to detail on casting, cinematography, and score. If you’re interested in learning more about what the Simpson debacle entailed, or even just watching an engrossing crime drama, you can’t go wrong with this. I left the series with both a micro understanding of the trial, as well as a 10,000 foot view of how racial tensions and corruption were allowed to thrive and run rampant in California.

Ryan Murphy is rapidly becoming one of my favorite filmmakers (along with J.J. Abrams), and I hope he is around for quite some time to continue showcasing his talent.

-Skywalker

DVD Wholesale Main Features :   

Format: AC-3, Box set, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Dubbed: Spanish
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number of discs: 4
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Release Date: September 6, 2016
Run Time: 499 minutes
ASIN: B01C69QV64