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Damien Wayne Echols, Jessie Miskelly, Jason Baldwin

The third part of the Paradise Lost trilogy, examining the case of the notorious West Memphis 3. This final version chronicles the last years in prison and eventual release of the three men accused of... read more read more... brutally murdering three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas in 1993. The men were released after entering an Alford plea on August 19, 2011, allowing them to assert their innocence while acknowledging that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict.

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490 ratings

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8 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 46 min.

Directed by: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky

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DVD Release Date: October 28, 2008

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Flixster Reviews (109)

  • imrealgod
    April 12, 2012
    imrealgod
    Good for what it is, and bad for same. But I can't understand how they released it in 2009 with those interviews from 2010 & 2011!!! Hope the rectifications will be made sooner than later, although it's nothing of great concern (and so I'm not taking efforts to report it).
  • xas5
    February 20, 2012
    xas5
    A great documentary about a larger than life situation involving a backwards justice system that even a novelist couldn't have written better. Getting to hear the West Memphis 3 talk, getting to hear those involved with the prosecution talk compared to their statements during the... read more trials, and seeing the disturbing images attached to this case, really make for a powerful documentary.
  • DrStrangeblog
    May 26, 2012
    DrStrangeblog
    The incredible conclusion to the real-life story of three teenagers convicted of murdering three 8-year old boys in 1994. It is 15 years later and forensic advancements, particularly DNA analysis, might produce new evidence to overturn their sentences including Damien Echols' st... read moreay on death row.

    The original Paradise Lost ranks among the best documentaries ever assembled. I did not see Part 2, but the events that transpire here in Part 3 probably render it inessential, I did not feel I missed anything significant. This conclusion not only offers closure but also provides stunning new insight about who the real killer(s) may be. Equally astonishing are the changes some of the key interviewees from Part 1 have undergone, particularly John Mark Beyers stepfather to one of the victims who was among the most bloodthirsty to condemn the Three and was actually cast by the filmmakers under suspicion as the actual killer. Now 15 years later, he is among the most vocal supporters in favor of releasing them!

    Just like Part 1, another incredible human drama that exceeds the reach of any fiction, these films should be required viewing for every law student and law enforcement professional as a cautionary reminder of the very real lives at stake beyond names on a court document.
  • jackamaku
    January 30, 2012
    jackamaku
    Each Paradise Lost sequel has assumed that the viewer is unfamiliar with the story from the first film, and has relied heavily on recaps and flashbacks to bring the audience up to speed. Paradise lost 2 did this by just showing scenes from part 1 and lots of on-screen text telli... read moreng you what has happened. Paradise Lost 3 begins with a long and very well done recap of the highlights of the first 2 films told through news reports and interviews. Some footage is stuff we've seen, some is old footage we've never seen, all mixed in with new footage. Having just watched Paradise Lost 1 & 2 in preparation for this screening, I was impressed by how well this was put together. Filmmaking and editing wise, this is the best of the 3 films. Although it doesn't replace the earlier films, it does stand very well on it's own. Paradise Lost 1 has all the detail of the trials. Part 2 casts more doubt and shows the impact of the documentary on the public perception of the convicted kids, and part 3 gets to show the entire story, and really shows the passage of time and how the people involved have changed over the last 18 years. A great ender to a great series.
  • ThomasJayWilliams
    February 24, 2012
    ThomasJayWilliams
    Having followed the other two documentaries in the series -- the first being eye-opening and infuriating (even with awareness to the topic beforehand) while the follow-up is an unremarkable addition made simply to keep the topic and its subjects (!!!) alive -- PL3: Purgatory fina... read morelly has something more to discuss as the fates of the three innocents framed of a ghastly, grisly triple murder of minor boys in West Memphis, Arkansas in 1993 is finally revealed. The unbelievable case -- well documented in the first Lost feature -- gained plenty of noteriety and the support of some Hollywood hard-hitters (such as Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh of The Lord of the Rings fame) which probably helped these boys -- now men nearly 20 years later!!! -- overcome a corrupt system by allowing them to enter an Alford plea, an unusual judicial anamoly that allows them to assert their innocence of the case while "acknowledging that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict" which keeps these victims from ever being able to see resititution for the state/county/courts for their wronged AND stolen lives! The West Memphis 3 have gotten a lot of press over the years as it is one of the most visible cases of blantent framing of three misunderstood youths (who looked different than us, liked to wear black and listened to loud music etc!) who became a scapegoat for an unimaginable evil -- that MOST disturbinly -- is still out there! Nobody is now behind bars for the horrific murder of three very young boys although there appears to be ample evidence to put someone away (one of the boy's stepfathers has mounds of evidence pointing his way!). To borrow a summation from What Culture's Shaun Munro, "the third film, an inarguably powerful knockout punch, reminds us of the documentary film's power to changed people's lives." We oftentimes think of a documentary being about a musician or a dancer or an unspeakable war; but Purgatory shows us that lives can be changed and altered with well-intentioned use of a camera! The subject matter is still disturbing and still upsetting but it does provide "some" closure for a loyal viewer of what is/was to become the Three. Justice has not come about and been served for the real murderers; but that will be another story.
  • bigpunholla
    February 20, 2012
    bigpunholla
    A fantastic end to the documentary trilogy by Berlinger and Sinofsky about the West Memphis 3. I can't help but think this film would've sadly been like the 2nd movie if the boys didn't get released from prison, especially under the circumstances(Alford Plea? Are you fucking kidd... read moreing me? I love this country but my god!) The films closure of the trilogy is well done and you get a real sense at the lives these people have lived since this tragedy happened in Arkansas.
  • GabrielKnight
    February 4, 2012
    GabrielKnight
    The final (thus far) chapter in the saga. I would highly recommend watching the first 2 parts first to get the full impact of the story.
  • benpuetz
    January 30, 2012
    benpuetz
    The third installment in the Paradise Lost documentaries. Out of all of the documentaries, the first one may be the most compelling due to the trial and outcome. This one, however, is the most complete in terms of overall quality. It does a good job of updating the viewer on e... read moreverything that has happened. Seeing the first two isn't necessary, but highly recommended to get a full grasp of the case details. Highly recommended.
  • sweetyhide
    January 28, 2012
    sweetyhide
    Having followed the case I watched this knowing most of what is in it, but regardless it will blow your mind how people are merely sheep, believing whatever they are told. This has a wonderful chance at the Oscar.
  • lechelant
    January 26, 2012
    lechelant
    This documentary series is fabulous. However, I guess I'm in the minority of people who wasn't crazy about this last part...even though I thought this part would be the best, because of their release! This last part was a lot of recap & factual legal information. It was less e... read morenthralling to me. It didn't keep me as glued to the screen as the others. It was still good & needed to be done though.

View All Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory Reviews

Critic Reviews

Michael Atkinson
January 10, 2012
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice

The new film is more informational than resonant. But you can still sense a vacuum, a rat pit of stories waiting to be unearthed. The dark something that triggered the whole ordeal in West Memphis is ... Full Review

Kirk Honeycutt
September 15, 2011
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter

First and foremost a testament to the power of the documentary. Full Review

John Anderson
September 13, 2011
John Anderson, Variety

Destined to rank as one of the major achievements in American documentary, the Paradise Lost project comes to a presumed end with Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory. Full Review

Shaun Munro
January 25, 2012
Shaun Munro, What Culture

This third film, an inarguably powerful knockout punch, reminds us of the documentary film's power to change people's lives. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
January 20, 2012
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Tells us clearly something is rotten about the American judicial system. Full Review

Marsha McCreadie
January 6, 2012
Marsha McCreadie, Film Journal International

The conclusion to the trilogy about the plight of three wrongly convicted men has an intriguingly new, if bittersweet, slant. It's an understatement to say that the documentary format comes off a lot ... Full Review

Nora Lee Mandel
October 18, 2011
Nora Lee Mandel, Film-Forward.com

[U]pdate[s,] reinterprets the original material and incorporates old outtakes and photographs. . .for comprehensive forensic and legal analysis [but] confusingly organized. Full Review

Bill Chambers
October 2, 2011
Bill Chambers, Film Freak Central

More a glorified DVD supplement than a documentary. Full Review

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