US Mall 1 - Intruder in the Dust

There's tension throughout, from the very beginning when the dignified Lucas Beauchamp, played by Juano Hernandez is arrested for supposedly shooting a white man in the back. There's a huge crowd of white people lining the streets but there is absolute silence as the thud of Beauchamp's footsteps echo as he is led to the jail. A young white teenage boy, played by Claude Jamen, Jr., who had been befriended by the dignified Beauchamp several years before, convinces his uncle, played by David Brian, to help save Beauchamp from the inevitable lynching.

I thought the story was a good one as it kept me glued to the screen, not even walking away when my computer signaled that fresh e-mail had arrived. But yet, with the exception of Porter Hall who played the one-armed father of the murdered man and Elizabeth Patterson, cast as the feisty elderly lady who instigated the investigation and single handedly delayed the potential lynching, the performances of the leading characters seemed wooden. This is a basically a good film though and it deals with some important themes. Yes, it could have been done better, but I still think it's worthwhile seeing. And so I give it a warm recommendation.