AllMovie

Based on a true story, The People Vs. Paul Crump embodies an impassioned plea for mercy and justice. In 1953, five young black men robbed a food plant in Chicago. During the incident, a security guard was shot to death and several employees were brutally beaten. Five men were arrested within a week in conjunction with the robbery. Paul Crump, 22 at the time of his arrest, was prosecuted for the crime and sentenced to die in the electric chair. Between 1953 and 1962, Crump was at the brink of execution 15 times. Film director William Friedkin met Crump in prison and became so convinced of the man's innocence that he created this powerful documentary to examine the truth.