Critic’s Rating: 3.7 / 5.0
3.7
What did we just watch?
Lifetime is known for its Ripped-from-the-Headlines stories, and Accused: The Karen Read Story is no exception to that, with a stylized, slightly modified, but all too real film that touches on the highly-publicized and purely insane murder trial of Karen Read.
And the film didn’t pull any punches in having us digging into a bowl of popcorn and muttering “What the hell?” at every conceivable turn.
Admittedly, as highly publicized as Karen Read’s trial was, I wasn’t aware of it or in my immediate orbit until the jury found her “Not Guilty” on her charges. Only then did I look into the case more and follow the sheer horror show of an egregious case against a civilian.
The worst part about all of this is that, essentially, as far as I know, there’s no agreed-upon conclusion as to what really happened to John O’Keefe and how he died. There’s some clear speculation, for sure. But not justice.
Nevertheless, Accused: The Karen Read Story received the Lifetime treatment and was riveting. Katie Cassidy certainly put on quite a performance, embodying this highly polarizing woman and bringing out the layers that have led people to be frustrated and put off by her, yet deeply empathetic toward her.
It’s what made the story so compelling, especially given the lingering uncertainty surrounding the case. Surely, there are still people who believe this woman is guilty, just as there are millions who proclaim her innocence.
It was a film that tapped into the same fervor we have for watching things like this play out publicly. I had to rein in my judgment as I watched how much Karen and John were drinking that night. No one needs that many shots!
Karen’s behavior when she woke up, hungover and panicked that John wasn’t home, did seem suspicious. Why on earth did she immediately think something was wrong if she didn’t do something to him?
What made her jump to the worst-case scenario that he was dead? And how did she know immediately that he was at his buddy’s house, possibly dead under a mountain of snow?
Karen’s behavior was a lot, which is exactly the type of stuff that made her a good suspect, even if she wasn’t guilty. It’s also what made her a decent patsy as well.
Additionally, given the background of their relationship, we got a full picture of how toxic they were as a pairing, which would explain some of her paranoia about him not being home and other things.
It didn’t always seem like John was able to commit fully, and Karen came across as a clingy sort who didn’t know when to walk away from mixed signals.
But that’s messy relationship-type stuff that no one ever thinks about or has much bearing on until something like this happens.
Other moments were ripe for interpretation as well. Karen’s own father, apparently, stated that he was concerned for her mental health and that he feared she’d hurt herself, which was another thing.
But given some of her “histrionics,” as some would describe them, when she woke up, it gave a particular impression of Karen — and she couldn’t shake it throughout.
It seemed everyone had strong impressions of Karen, and they were able to weaponize those thoughts against her after John’s death.
Of course, the most egregious of them all was the lead detective’s behavior at the crime scene. His text messages about Karen were vile. And unprofessional isn’t the worst of what his behavior exuded: chatting about an open investigation with family members and others, as he did.
When it came to John’s death, it was evident from that point forward that they had zeroed in on Karen and never considered any other cause of death or person of interest.
So, having a person working on the case express that type of vitriol for someone — a woman he knows, about the death of his friend– was enough to have had this case thrown out the first time.
Ultimately, the murder trial wasn’t even about who killed John O’Keefe.
Instead, it became about this gross miscarriage and violation of Read’s rights as law enforcement fumbled and butchered every conceivable aspect of this investigation. It’s a full-blown case of conspiracy, even if the film itself doesn’t lean into that angle nearly enough in my opinion.
It’s no surprise at all that Turtleboy AKA Kearney, went from being uninterested in the whole thing to calling foul and then leading the charge in advocating for Karen.
Because it was one thing to accuse this woman of manslaughter, but they rearrested her and charged her with MURDER. The latter didn’t align with their theory, and they couldn’t even prove it.
It would set off alarm bells for anyone with common sense.
Even on the off chance that it wasn’t a police cover-up and framing of an innocent woman, the case revealed how poorly the Canton police in this instance screwed up the entire investigation.
Collecting bloody ice in Red Solo cups, witnesses with conflicting statements, the sheer overlap of witnesses who were related to and connected to law enforcement, including who should have been suspects, damning video footage that went against their theory rather than supported it….
Everything about the case was a mess from the start. It was interesting that John somehow died outside of a fellow cop’s house, and at no point were they or any of the house’s inhabitants considered suspects.
We saw footage of a tipsy, panicked Karen being backed into John’s car as she left that morning to search for him. Then the cops confiscated her vehicle, and only later did they find tail light fragments in the snow that matched her truck.
Some of the injuries John sustained didn’t seem to align with being backed into, and much of the case against Karen was circumstantial.
Everyone relied solely on this idea that she was a “whackjob,” that spouses usually do it, and this “Back the Blue” mentality that had folks either willing to cover tracks and cover for the Blue Line or resistant to the notion that they’re infallible.
Conspiracy. Corruption. Incompetence. Pick your poison here.
Katie Cassidy was a standout during the film. It was her movie to carry, and she delivered on that. She captured the layers of Karen, but what I enjoyed most was that this depiction wasn’t about creating a flawless victim in the retelling.
Karen was … “a lot” at times. Concerns about her image and how the press would capture her in photos, or the ridiculousness of her having her car confiscated and whining about how she’d get to work — those were things that would get under anyone’s skin.
There was a self-absorbed, aloof quality about her that put people off. She also clearly got behind the wheel of a car multiple times while under the influence. Half the reason she was a suspect in the first place was because of that.
Karen Read wasn’t perfect. He wasn’t always likable, but that’s part of the story’s appeal. Because even imperfect people don’t deserve the crapshow that was that entire investigation and trial.
Outside of Cassidy’s performance as Read, there wasn’t a strong connection to other elements or characters from the film.
Karen’s high-profile lawyer had his impressive moments, mainly his disbelief at how the case was handled and his questioning of witnesses on the stand.
While Karen’s father seemed to be a support to her, the role was such a quiet one that there wasn’t much impact. It was hard to get a real feel for John as a victim, and the set of friends and family around had little presence; thus, the stakes of how ostracized Karen became.
And the investigator was the worst, but the film barely scratched the surface of his impact. However, they did more with Turtle Boy. If only slightly.
It’s a film that feels like Cliff Notes to a twisty case that still has many of us reeling. After a mistrial and another trial, Karen walks away with a Not Guilty verdict, but there are just so many questions surrounding this whole ordeal.
The film touches on notes, perfunctory with just a hint of salacity. And it’s serviceable. Again, Cassidy’s performance is the most significant selling point, and it’s an attempt at accurate accent work for a change (many shows and films don’t bother with that anymore).
I loved watching this as a precursor to whoever’s iteration of this case in the serialized firm. Prime Video will have one led by Elizabeth Banks that should be exciting.
But I’d love to hear what you thought of this film. Where do you stand on the Karen Read case? Did this cover it adequately?
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