“I Got A Monster” (2023)
Compelling documentary of a despicable crime.
Compelling documentary of a despicable crime.
“In March 2017, 7 Baltimore Police Officers were indicted on corruption charges by the Federal Government”.
“Despite complaints from citizens and Defence Attorneys, their behaviour went unchecked for more than a decade”.
“Baltimore is still recovering from the effects of what has become known as the Gun Trace Task Force Scandal”.
So begins the 2023 documentary I Got A Monster, based upon the book of the same name written by Brandon Soderberg and Baynard Woods and directed by debutant feature length director Kevin Abrams after a host of short films and TV specials over an 18 year career to date. The “I Got A Monster” moniker is positively spun from the negative original language of the only officer I’ll name of the seven reprehensible entities charged (Wayne Jenkins) with the racketeering, theft and shakedowns on the streets of Baltimore over more than a decade, and the one truly despicable and unspeakable crime recorded on camera and shown in this truly disturbing and shocking documentary. The “monster” these officers of the law would refer to would be the huge haul of drugs or money they’d instantly secure for themselves in a reign of terror on the streets of Baltimore from 2003, which is recorded at length and peppered throughout the documentary from lawyer, and now Baltimore State’s Attorney, Ivan Bates, during his public testimony at a Hearing on 11th June 2019.
From this public Hearing the documentary darts back and forth via TV News reports of the time, bodycam footage and talking heads interviews right up to the present day with Ivan Bates as the newly installed State’s Attorney, a bail bondsman central to the story and particularly the co-author of the book upon which the documentary is based, Baynard Woods, as each layer yet more detail upon the “All-Star Team” of “Dirty Cops” in plain clothes who terrified the completely innocent, and largely black skinned residents of Baltimore who were simply driving around the city.
Also interviewed, together with members of the Internal Affairs division of the FBI and local journalists, are numerous surviving residents of the city who had their lives torn to shreds by this gang of seven criminals, and whose innocent lives were defended by Ivan Bates whilst he highlighted the shocking strong-arming, theft and planting of evidence that turned their lives upside down in his thorough testimony to the Hearing in 2019 in which he opened with:
“No one’s helping. No one’s there. No one’s listening. How could the system fail this badly for this long? The signs were there, we just didn’t pay attention.”
Over $15,000,000 in settlements have been paid to date but the stench of racism and incredible blatant exploitation will live with you long after the end credits of this highly recommended, if difficult to watch at times, documentary.
Thanks for reading. Just for larks as always, and always a human reaction rather than spoilers galore. My three most recently published film articles are linked below or there’s well over 250 blog articles (with 500+ individual film reviews) within my film library from which to choose:
“Cocaine Bear” (2023)
Fantastically surprising comedy horror.medium.com
“Missing” (2023)
Highly recommended social media whodunit.medium.com
“Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre” (2023)
Spy thriller. Without the thrills.medium.com