Film Festival Reviews

Tribeca Film Festival Review: “The Phantom” Is A Well-Made Indictment Of America’s Broken Criminal Justice System


 

Carlos DeLuna was arrested in 1993 aged 21 for the murder of Wanda Lopez, and protested his innocence until his execution, declaring that it was another Carlos who committed the crime.

In 1983 in Corpus Christi, Texas, a woman was stabbed to death and the cops immediately arrested a shirtless man found hiding near the scene. Director Patrick Forbes pieces together the events through interviews, re-enactments, and candid conversations with people who are familiar with the case and subject.

During a brief history of Corpus Christi, Forbes showcases the tumultuous moments between Mexicans and the American settlers with a focus on Frontier Justice. Frontier Justice is best described as a person seeking retribution through extrajudicial punishment in the absence or failure of laws.

The grisly stabbing of store clerk Wanda Lopez leads the Corpus Christi cops on a pursuit where they find a shirtless man hiding underneath a vehicle. The shirtless man is Carlos DeLuna. After questioning, he maintained his innocence and knew who actually committed the murder. Some circumstantial evidence, a wad of cash potentially matching the amount stolen from Wanda Lopez’s cash register, is enough for the cops to charge DeLuna. DeLuna’s inexperienced lawyers watched in astonishment as the jury announced their guilty verdict after a mere four-hour deliberation.

One of the methods used in filming, a courtroom with people attached to the case, is both annoying and effective. The case is still unsolved but the documentary is most interesting for discussing the death penalty which is common in Texas. During this period, George W. Bush was governor of the state and he streamlined executions. He callously denied DNA testing for DeLuna which would’ve cleared him and countless innocent people who have been wrongfully executed. The ending title card states a staggering 60% of people executed by the state were people of color. Frontier Justice hasn’t been abolished, instead, it is being disguised by a theatrical judicial process but nonetheless present.

 

“The Phantom” recently had its World Premiere at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival

 

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Eamon Tracy

Based in Philadelphia, Eamon lives and breathes movies and hopes there will be more original concepts and fewer remakes!