Fourteen Days in May (1987) User Reviews

A superb documentary

[lattar1 · 9/10 · 14 April 2012]

Paul Hamann's BBC documentary 'Fourteen Days in May - The Execution of Edward Earl Johnson' has the qualities of a great documentary. His film crew seems to have enjoyed great freedom inside the Arkansas State Penitentiary. The co-operation of the warden and a some sort of 'why not attitude', absent in 2012 culture, is evident from the ease in which characters appear on screen.

Like the title suggests, Hamann and his crew spend two weeks in the prison. It is evident that the they manage to create a personal relationship with many of the films protagonists. Relevant questions about capital punishment are explored, especially about its in practice implementation.

I liked this documentary a lot. As well as being informative and interesting , some of it is just heart-wrenching. I recommend people who are interested in the subject to watch it.

Gritty Capital Punishment Documentary

[MarkGren · 7/10 · 13 July 2004]

We had to watch this in high school as a combination of topics on capital punishment and documentary making. As documentary making techniques go some of the work done here was sloppy and could definitely be seen to give a biased view of the situation (that the guy they were following was innocent) but some of the points raised were highly valid and interesting. It gave an insight into some of the possible injustices of the legal system, and also the emotions experienced by a person on death row. In the end it was worthy program to watch and left you with conflicting views over the realisation of the capital punishment idea, and that's probably the most rewarding part of the experience

Fourteen Days In May

[a_baron · 6/10 · 24 March 2014]

Edward Earl Johnson was executed in May 1987 for the June 1979 murder of law enforcement officer J.J. Trest. This documentary covers the last 14 days in his life, and includes interviews with the man himself as well as a young Clive Stafford Smith, who for the past three decades has made a career out of championing lost causes including murderess Linda Carty – currently on death row in Texas; and double killer Krishna Maharaj, who although no longer on death row is still pursuing a futile and ludicrous appeal.

Johnson was just as guilty, in spite of the de rigueur apologetics, and of course there is also a lot of contrived guff about him being black and his victim white, as if those were the only factors in his execution. Johnson did not testify at his trial, although he did confess to the crime.

The lengths his lawyers went to in order to avoid his execution were extraordinary. The May 1987 decision of the Fifth Circuit makes interesting reading; in dismissing Johnson's appeal, the court is scathing. The only ground on which Johnson might have been spared execution in Mississippi was his youth; he was not yet 19 when he shot Marshal Trest: three times in the body; twice in the head.

Although this documentary is sympathetic to Johnson, it is clear from the evidence presented that he was the author of his own misfortune. Whether or not the death penalty is inhumane, the alternative is hardly any more appealing, so the best policy seems to be don't commit murder.