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AMERICA UNDERCOVER: MURDER ON A SUNDAY MORNING

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What You Need To Know:

AMERICA UNDERCOVER: MURDER ON A SUNDAY MORNING tells the dramatic story that took place in May of 2000, when Mary Ann Stephens, a 65-year old woman tourist, was shot and killed leaving her hotel room with her husband in Jacksonville, Florida. Fearing that the murder would kill the tourist industry, the sheriffs’ deputies and detectives quickly picked up a studious, 15-year old boy named Brendon Butler. The police literally railroaded Brendon by manufacturing evidence and coercing a confession, but the good news was that, thanks to the prayers of Brendon’s parents and church, the public defender, Pat McGuinness, not only rescued Brendon, but also exposed the corruption in the police department.

MURDER ON A SUNDAY MORNING is a riveting, exciting, faith-filled documentary that is an extremely dramatic, clean, lesson in faith and justice. The only negatives in the movie are the one obscenity, the “n” word that was several times, and the chain-smoking habit of Pat McGuinness, who in spite of his addiction is a major hero. The jeopardy never lets up, and the documentary is constructed to keep the audience guessing. This documentary truly deserved the Academy Award.

SECTION: ** DVD Guide **

HEADLINE: ** Real Justice **

TITLE: AMERICA UNDERCOVER: MURDER ON A SUNDAY MORNING

Quality: * * * * Acceptability: +1

SUBTITLES: None

WARNING CODES:

Language: L

Violence: V

Sex: None

Nudity: None

RATING: Not rated

RELEASE: 2001

TIME: 111 Minutes

STARRING: N/A

DIRECTOR: Jean Xavier de Lestrade

PRODUCERS: Denis Poncet

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Christine Le Goff, Denis Poncet, and Ives Jeanneau.

WRITER: N/A

BASED ON THE NOVEL/PLAY BY: N/A

DISTRIBUTOR: HBO

CONTENT: (CCC, L, V, DD, M) Extremely strong Christian worldview, with group prayer church prayer, choir singing, statements about trusting the Lord and real miracle occurs; 1 obscenity and “n*gg*r” word used several times in court testimony; discussions of murders, pictures of a murdered body, picture of a boy’s face having been beaten up; no sex; no nudity; constant smoking; no drinking; and, lying and falsifying evidence by police officers and detectives.

GENRE: Documentary/Biography/Law & Crime/Race & Ethnicity

INTENDED AUDIENCE: Older Teen and Adult

REVIEWER: Dr. Ted Baehr

REVIEW: AMERICA UNDERCOVER: MURDER ON A SUNDAY MORNING is an academy award-winning documentary produced by HBO, that played in theaters just long enough to get an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for 2001. It was just brought to our attention by a Liberty Law school that was asking if they should show the movie in their school. The answer is a resounding, yes.

The movie is extremely dramatic, very clean, and a lesson in faith and justice. Although it is a documentary, it tells the dramatic story that took place in May of 2000, when Mary Ann Stephens, a 65-year old woman tourist, was shot and killed walking out of her hotel room with her husband in Jacksonville, Florida. Fearing that the murder would hurt the tourist industry, the sheriffs’ deputies and detectives acted very quickly and picked up the first African American they could find: a very studious, 15-year old boy named Brendon Butler.

Brendon was heading towards a job interview, he had no gun or other incriminating evidence linking him to the murder. Even so, the police convinced the traumatized husband of Mary Ann Stevens to identify Brendon as the culprit. The police literally railroaded Brendon, manufacturing evidence and coercing a confession.

The good news was that the public defender, Pat McGuinness, took the case and carefully engineered a great defense, so that he not only saved Brendon, but also exposed the corruption in the police department.

This is a very riveting, exciting documentary. Brendon prays together with his parents, and his father talks about the Lord Jesus Christ. Members of Brendon’s church pray during the trial, and the choir sings religious songs to keep up everyone’s spirit. The incredible verdict is nothing less than a miraculous answer to prayer.

The only negatives in the movie are the one obscenity, the “nigger” word that was used several times, and the chain-smoking habit of Pat McGuinness, who in spite of his addiction is a major hero.

The expectation before viewing is that this will be a very political correct piece of propaganda. It is not; rather, it is a vindication of the American system of justice and the efficacy of prayer.

The jeopardy never lets up, and the documentary is constructed to keep the audience guessing throughout. This documentary truly deserved the Academy Award.

Please address your comments to:

Bill Nelson, Chairman/CEO

HBO

(A Time Warner subsidiary)

Collin Callender, President

HBO Films

2500 Broadway, Suite 400

Santa Monica, CA 90404

Phone: (310) 382-3000

Website: www.hbo.com

SUMMARY: AMERICA UNDERCOVER: MURDER ON A SUNDAY MORNING tells the dramatic story that took place in 2000, when the public defender, Pat McGuinness, took the case of a framed young African American man and not only saved him, but also exposed the corruption in the police department. The faith-filled documentary MURDER ON A SUNDAY MORNING is constructed to keep the audience guessing throughout and truly deserved the Academy Award that it won.

IN BRIEF:

AMERICA UNDERCOVER: MURDER ON A SUNDAY MORNING tells the dramatic story that took place in May of 2000, when Mary Ann Stephens, a 65-year old woman tourist, was shot and killed leaving her hotel room with her husband in Jacksonville, Florida. Fearing that the murder would kill the tourist industry, the sheriffs’ deputies and detectives quickly picked up a studious, 15-year old boy named Brendon Butler. The police literally railroaded Brendon by manufacturing evidence and coercing a confession, but the good news was that, thanks to the prayers of Brendon’s parents and church, the public defender, Pat McGuinness, not only rescued Brendon, but also exposed the corruption in the police department.

MURDER ON A SUNDAY MORNING is a riveting, exciting, faith-filled documentary that is an extremely dramatic, clean, lesson in faith and justice. The only negatives in the movie are the one obscenity, the “n” word that was several times, and the chain-smoking habit of Pat McGuinness, who in spite of his addiction is a major hero. The jeopardy never lets up, and the documentary is constructed to keep the audience guessing. This documentary truly deserved the Academy Award.

Content:

(CCC, L, V, DD, M) Extremely strong Christian worldview, with group prayer church prayer, choir singing, statements about trusting the Lord and real miracle occurs; 1 obscenity and “n*gg*r” word used several times in court testimony; discussions of murders, pictures of a murdered body, picture of a boy’s face having been beaten up; no sex; no nudity; constant smoking; no drinking; and, lying and falsifying evidence by police officers and detectives.

More Detail:

MERICA UNDERCOVER: MURDER ON A SUNDAY MORNING is an academy award-winning documentary produced by HBO, that played in theaters just long enough to get an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for 2001. It was just brought to our attention by a Liberty Law school that was asking if they should show the movie in their school. The answer is a resounding, yes.

The movie is extremely dramatic, very clean, and a lesson in faith and justice. Although it is a documentary, it tells the dramatic story that took place in May of 2000, when Mary Ann Stephens, a 65-year old woman tourist, was shot and killed walking out of her hotel room with her husband in Jacksonville, Florida. Fearing that the murder would hurt the tourist industry, the sheriffs’ deputies and detectives acted very quickly and picked up the first African American they could find: a very studious, 15-year old boy named Brendon Butler.

Brendon was heading towards a job interview, he had no gun or other incriminating evidence linking him to the murder. Even so, the police convinced the traumatized husband of Mary Ann Stevens to identify Brendon as the culprit. The police literally railroaded Brendon, manufacturing evidence and coercing a confession.

The good news was that the public defender, Pat McGuinness, took the case and carefully engineered a great defense, so that he not only saved Brendon, but also exposed the corruption in the police department.

This is a very riveting, exciting documentary. Brendon prays together with his parents, and his father talks about the Lord Jesus Christ. Members of Brendon’s church pray during the trial, and the choir sings religious songs to keep up everyone’s spirit. The incredible verdict is nothing less than a miraculous answer to prayer.

The only negatives in the movie are the one obscenity, the “nigger” word that was used several times, and the chain-smoking habit of Pat McGuinness, who in spite of his addiction is a major hero.

The expectation before viewing is that this will be a very political correct piece of propaganda. It is not; rather, it is a vindication of the American system of justice and the efficacy of prayer.

The jeopardy never lets up, and the documentary is constructed to keep the audience guessing throughout. This documentary truly deserved the Academy Award.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.