Ben

You're kidding, right? Ben is a piece of garbage who doesn't deserve an ounce of pity from anyone! I kind of understand the lies Libby told when she was a little girl because she was a traumatized child who was being coached by adults on what to say in court. At that young age Libby probably didn't even know what was going on during the trial. At 15, Ben should have known better than to tell the stupid lies he told. The fact that he still had love and loyalty for his crack whore girlfriend after she killed his sister means he's a disgraceful douchebag! He's also an idiot for thinking he's doing what's best for his estranged daughter by taking the rap so Diondra and Crystal can stay together. If he was really for the best interest for his progeny, he would have turned Diondra in so the authorities would have taken custody of his kid away from her. If Cyrstal was raised in a foster home she probably would have grown to be a sane and stable person, and not the homicidal lunatic she is from being under Diondra's tutelage. It's bad enough that Ben thought he was doing the right thing when he was a teenager, but it's despicable that even as a grown adult he's still protecting Diondra! I'll give Ben just a little credit for pulling Diondra off of Michelle in the choking scene, but in the book he wasn't that chivalrous. In the novel, he just sat in the corner balled up while Diondra strangled his sibling. What a spineless tool! By the end of the book/movie I was disgusted by Ben!

Thanks for your reply. I'm only commenting on my views based on the film, as I didn't read the book. Perhaps if I read the book, I might feel differently about the characters. However, none of what you said changes the fact that Ben served 28 years in prison for a crime or crimes that he's innocent of. I'm willing to cut Ben and Libby slack for how they handled the initial circumstances around the murders as they were both young. Libby is the one who could have made the biggest impact years later by admitting that she freaking lied. I'm not sure how much weight would have been given to Ben recanting his story especially when they still have his own sister pointing to him as the murderer. He intimates as much when she asks him why he never asked for an appeal. Ben didn't know how his girlfriend's life turned out nor did he know anything about his daughter. If you want to question his judgment for protecting them okay, but at least he did it out of love and loyalty. In contrast to his sister who perpetuates her lie and let's her innocent brother rot in jail for nearly three decades.

I agree 100%!

Even if the truth had come out right away Ben would have been facing time. He helped plan a robbery and a murder was committed during the commission of the crime. It doesn't matter that he didn't do that crime. He also covered up the crime after the fact. In some cases this would get him at least 10 years, I don't know about the mid 80's he might have been looking at time in prison up to life for the fact that he helped plan the crime that got his murdering girlfriend on the scene.

I've read the book (it's even better than GG in my opinion) and in the book Diondra is just THE WORST. She and Trey manipulate and abuse Ben throughout and Ben is almost powerless against them. When she kills Michelle -who was portrayed as a mean spirited gossip- he is too frightened of her to keep trying to stop her.

Also, I don't think it's fair to say that Libby 'lied' per se. She reads back through the course transcrips and finds out just how badly (and unethically) the prosecution hammered and harassed her from day one to implicate Ben. You don't do that to a 7 year old child.

I'm still trying to figure out WHY the young Diondre did Ben's sister in? Is this a link up to the Devil worship? It's pretty weak why she went back to choking that girl. I don't get it, except to remind the audience, as if they needed to be reminded, she was no good.

So Ben was still in jail at the end or was he being released?

He never filed for an appeal because he felt that even though he didn't kill his family he's the reason his sisters are dead.


IIRC Diondra manipulated him into taking the blame for the murders in the first place. She was a psychotic, drug abusing, entitled brat who never took responsibilities for her actions.