2hotFeature one of my absolute favorites!

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Beulah Bram A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

a_baron This is a review only of the "bonus" film "Manufacturing Guilt".This film is total fantasy. Right at the beginning we are told that Abu-Jamal was a journalist; the reality is that by the time he murdered Officer Daniel Faulkner he was driving a cab for a living, having thrown away a promising career in radio by his failure to distinguish reporting from advocacy.Judge Yohn did not overturn his death sentence as "illegally imposed". In his 2001 appeal, Abu-Jamal's lawyers raised no fewer than 29 claims; in his minutely detailed two-hundred-and-seventy page judgment, Yohn dismissed all but one of those claims but granted a certificate of appealability for a resentencing hearing. This was a purely technical decision; the only illegality throughout these proceedings has been by the defense from the murder of Daniel Faulkner to the deluge of perjured testimony and fantastic fabrications that continue to this day.There follows the usual garbage about "innocent" Mumia, how for example blacks were allegedly kept off the jury. To which even Angela Davis might be tempted to reply "So what?" on account of an all-white jury acquitting her in her controversial trial way back in the 1970s.Anyone who is taken in or tempted to be taken in by this garbage should read the trial transcript, which like all the other transcripts and much else beside can be found on the dedicated Daniel Faulkner website. Abu-Jamal's 2001 "declaration" of innocence is read here verbatim. The time to make such a declaration was at his trial; he didn't, and neither did his brother William Cook, who witnessed the crime and whose only testimony at the time was "I ain't got nothing to do with this." That is true, but unfortunately for Abu-Jamal, he cannot honestly make the same claim.

EAllen2087 Whether you believe in his guilt or innocence, you'll find Mumia a fascinating presence while watching this film. For the millions who've heard his name, but have had their opinions and impressions of him filtered through a lens of news reports, pro-police protests and bloodlust for his execution, as well as those who've only come to know him through his best-selling books or by attending "Free Mumia" rallies, this provides a more intimate look. This film captures the elements of his experience that resulted in activism and personal convictions, and makes clear the reasons that he has been opposed by so many -- beyond the obvious conviction and label of "cop killer."

rossrhart This film is a real eye opener. Mumia is a must see for every American. For those who already understand what lengths the government machine can and does go to in order to suppress revolutionary voices and actions, it adds fuel to the smoldering fire. To those who don't already understand, let's hope it is a small ray of sunshine piercing the elaborate red, white and blue smoke and mirror environment you have been brought up with and swallowed hook, line and sinker. Incredibly well researched and brilliantly executed by Stephen Vittoria, a documentary filmmaker at the very top of his game, Mumia is populated by a who's who of revolutionary thinkers who bring their thoughtful commentary to bear on this important subject. The subject of the film, Mumia Abu-Jamal, is nothing less than a universal thinker, philosopher and visionary. Mumia can extemporize and speak on virtually any subject or event without research or calculation at a higher and more thorough and profound level than most PHDs could if given a week in the central library to prepare to address a topic. Mumia thinks and speaks in an improvisational manner that can only be analogized to the riffs of jazz greats Coltrane, Davis and Monk. Don't miss it and watch it twice.

carolp6798 Mumia Abu Jamal: Long Distance Revolutionary is a magnificent artistic journey through Mumia's life. It spotlights his talent, brilliance, and perseverance in the face of insurmountable odds. It shows the absurdist Kafkaesque tragedy that our criminal justice system has become. A former Black Panther and a leftist journalist Mumia had a perspective that challenged the status quo and made his capture and silencing an imperative to the FBI and the Philadelphia police under the iron fist of Frank Rizzo. Filmmaker Stephen Vittoria brings out Mumia's humanity while never losing sight of the racial and class politics so intrinsic to Mumia's message of love to the world. Cornel West says Mumia is a long distance revolutionary because of his love for and dedication to humanity. He says Mumia is a blues man to the life of the mind, and a jazz man of ideas. Vittoria makes these musical allusions vivid in the film. He does this under the severe constraints set by the Pennsylvania prison system. He was not allowed to film Mumia, yet managed to use stills and vintage footage to maximum effect. The audience comes away from the film knowing they have experienced a truly remarkable man. Vittoria tells us that Mumia is so remarkable Paris has designated him an honorary citizen, and St. Denis, France, the city of kings, has named a street after him. This movie doesn't address the question of Mumia's actual guilt or innocence, but in a companion feature on the DVD , "Manufacturing Guilt", Vittoria shows how the evidence against Mumia was heavily fabricated. Fundamental police procedures such as testing for explosives on his hands that would indicate whether or not he had recently fired a gun were not done. At the same time a witness was coerced into giving a false confession which she later recanted. On appeal the evidence from Mumia's trial proved so flimsy, he was removed from death row after 30 years.