The People vs O.J. Simpson

The year of 1994 was a wildly different time. Institutional racism in America was under the limelight following the release of footage of police brutality against an unarmed black man. The public imagination was infatuated with a murder trial that didn’t quite make sense and seemed to unfairly target one man. Also, the Kardashians were big in the news. How the world changes, eh?

American Crime Story documents and dramatizes, though only slightly, the tumultuous and frantic events surrounding the murder of American football star OJ Simpson’s ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and OJ’s subsequent trial for the crime. The show, as is becoming something of a trend as of late, has an all-star cast; with the likes of Cuba Gooding Jr. and David Schwimmer taking on the roles of O.J. and Rob Kardashian, respectively.

In general, the acting is very good, and one of the series’ great strengths is that it chooses not to focus particularly on Simpson himself, but rather on the plethora of unique personalities drawn into the whole sordid saga. If ever a piece was fitting of the descriptor ‘ensemble cast’, this would be it. The closest thing to a protagonist lies in prosecutor Marcia Clark; though the show takes pains to ensure neither side is outright vilified. Sarah Paulson shines as Clark; bringing just the right amount of ferocity and self-assuredness to the role. She is expertly framed as a tragic hero; giving her the audience support and goodwill despite the foregone conclusion.

Another standout performance comes from Courtney B. Vance; playing what quickly became my favourite character, Johnnie Cochran. Vance’s energy and suave demeanour are downright contagious. He’s the salesman who you know is trying to sell you something, but you can’t help be charmed. At the end of the day, you’re going home with that extended warranty. There’s a character for everyone, and some great ‘magnificent bastard’ moments that’ll be sure to get smirks out of viewers. If there’s one fault to be found in the piece’s characterisation, it’s that it plays on some of the ‘popular’ ideas of what certain people were like, rather than representing them entirely accurately. But hey, it makes for good TV.

One of the other pillars of the show is its pacing. Every episode feels tightly plotted; right from the start. The opening sequence, contextualising the era by showing us the Rodney King beating and subsequent riots, followed by the fast-moving breakdown of the discovery of the crime and its evidence, are instantly and powerfully gripping. This trend is continued in the second episode; the entirety of which is dedicated to the now infamous ‘White Bronco’ car chase. The writing always keeps the audience’s pulse high, and ensures that momentum is not lost, even in mellower moments. No scene feels wasted or outstays its welcome; though this is often the luxury of a mini-series that knows exactly how long it has to cover something. They even manage to sneak in some really great, if sometimes subtle, humorous moments (‘who the hell brings a lawyer to a funeral?’ asks the paparazzo while trying to take pictures of it).

There is a tendency to be a bit cheesy here and there. At times, this pays off brilliantly; the most prominent example so far being the fusion of the ‘White Bronco’ chase with the Beastie Boys’ ‘Sabotage’. In fact, the soundtrack choice throughout is pretty great. Occasionally, however, the cheese gets a bit much and overpowers the meat of the story. Moments like the voicemails from O.J’s kids to their dead mother are a bit much and despite being historically probable, stretch credulity slightly and take you out of the story a bit. There are also certain points where we are treated to some well written, wonderfully subtle subtext, only to have it be immediately explained by the characters. There’s also way too much of a focus on the Kardashian kids, for seemingly no other reason than to cash in on their popularity. There’s also a random, really obvious and heavy handed, and, in my opinion, unnecessary shot thrown at them in the third episode. But then, I’m a fan of Yeezy and by extension, Kim, so maybe I’m a little biased there.

Overall, the show feels like an anti-‘Making a Murderer’. Here, we follow a charismatic team of lawyers as they get off a (let’s face it) probably guilty double murderer, while a battered district attorney tries desperately to stop them. I highly recommend this to any True Crime fans, and anyone who’s looking for something good to follow. I’m definitely hooked, and in this till the end.

American Crime Story is available on Amazon Prime