Review of Deadly Betrayal: The Bruce Curtis Story

True story from 1982 about Bruce Curtis, a Nova Scotia teen, whose visit to the residence of his boarding school friend in New Jersey turns out to be nightmare that led to his arrest for the murder of the friend's mother and sentence to 20 years in prison in a NJ facility for youth. Film is told from Bruce's point of view as he meets with his lawyer prior to the court hearing and his recount of the events of that fateful day in the summer of '82. Excellent script with outstanding performances by Kenneth Welsh (defence lawyer) and John Kapelos (prosecutor). The most exciting scenes from the movie are not the events as Bruce saw them, but the battle between the lawyers in the courtroom. In the end, the winning team was the work of the prosecuting lawyer, a man whose winning streak at 92% conviction rate of cases, adds another one with the Curtis case. It's not just about believing in the truth. It's about who's the smarter lawyer. Available officially in the UK on PAL VHS. Should be rerun on the CBC but haven't seen it lately.