DEVIL'S KNOT

SWITCH: 'DEVIL'S KNOT' TRAILER

Colin Firth, looking quite unlike himself, portrays private investigator Ron Lax, who assists with The Three’s defence due to his strong anti-capital punishment feelings. Firth’s casting is surprising, considering there must be lots of American actors who would have happily taken the role. However, he does a stellar job, his Memphis accent never faltering.

Reese Witherspoon looks particularly frumpy as a victim’s mother who suspects the case against the accused is not as solid as it should be. At the beginning of the film, she seems to be just phoning in her performance, but by the end warms into the role a little more, but never fully embraces her character. Fans of ‘True Blood’ will recognise Stephen Moyer as Prosecutor Fogelman, whose part is small, and seems to be closely based on Moyer’s Vampire Bill.

The start of the film is a little jumpy and incoherent, but soon settles into the story; however, apart from the main players, keeping the characters straight is a little tricky. The film touches on issues of racism, religious fervour, bigotry and stereotypes. I recommend a strong stomach for this one – not due to any blood or gore, but the discovery of the children’s bodies is fairly disturbing, mostly because it feels very real.

If these sorts of films interest you, ‘Devil’s Knot’ is a well-made exploration into the failings of justice, and worth viewing. Be sure to read the postscript at the end. For what it aims to do, the film falls well into the Hit category.

Click here to read our 3.5-star review of 'Devil's Knot'.

To celebrate the release of 'Devil's Knot' in cinemas, we're giving you the chance to win a double pass.

To win one of five double passes thanks to Icon, just make sure you follow both steps:

Competition opens at 5:00pm AEST on Thursday 17th July 2014 and closes at 9:59 pm AEST on Thursday 24th July 2014. Five winners will be chosen at random on Friday 25th July 2014. To successfully win, entrants must fulfil the above entry conditions before the time the competition closes. Current members/followers are eligible to enter the competition. Only one entry per person. Only one winner per household. To be a valid winner, the entrant must not have won a prize from SWITCH within the last 28 days. Each winner will receive one double pass to 'Devil's Knot'. By entering, you agree to receive occasional emails from SWITCH in the future. If you decide to unsubscribe from these updates, any further entries will not be applicable. Only Australian residents are eligible to enter.