Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- tense
- morally serious
- grounded
- crime thriller night
- serious movie night
What critics said
Critics generally found the film straightforward and engaging, with Clint Eastwood and Isaiah Washington providing strong performances despite conventional plotting.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Steve Everett has only a few hours to investigate Frank Louis Beachum's case before the scheduled execution.
The central mystery concerns whether an apparently condemned murderer is innocent and whether the execution should proceed.
Everett's alcoholism, infidelity, and professional marginalization contrast with his determined effort to save Beachum.
Everett's editor Bob Findley wants him removed while the newspaper assignment places him against an imminent institutional deadline.
Films like True Crime, and why
The Life of David Gale
Shared crime mystery structure, death penalty stakes, and a protagonist racing to uncover a possible wrongful conviction.
All the President's Men
Shared investigative journalism, institutional pressure, and morally urgent pursuit of the truth.
Dead Man Walking
Shared capital punishment setting, last-minute legal urgency, and emotionally charged questions of guilt and innocence.
The Pledge
Shared flawed, alcoholic protagonist and tense investigation shaped by personal redemption.
Movie Details
- Director
- Clint Eastwood
- Release Date
- 1999-03-19
- Runtime
- 127 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (887)
Cast
- Clint Eastwood
- Isaiah Washington
- LisaGay Hamilton
- James Woods
- Denis Leary
- Bernard Hill
- Diane Venora
- Michael McKean
- Michael Jeter
- Mary McCormack
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is True Crime about?
- A disgraced Oakland reporter races through a final day of investigation to challenge a death-row conviction before the state carries out its sentence.
- What is True Crime like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of True Crime as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is True Crime violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in True Crime as mild.
- What did critics think of True Crime?
- Critics generally found the film straightforward and engaging, with Clint Eastwood and Isaiah Washington providing strong performances despite conventional plotting.
- Which films are like True Crime?
- Films with a similar feel include The Life of David Gale, All the President's Men, Dead Man Walking, and The Pledge.
- How long is True Crime?
- True Crime runs 127 minutes.
- Where can I watch True Crime?
- In United States, True Crime is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
