Crown Heights is a 2017 American biographicalcrimedrama film written and directed by Matt Ruskin. Adapted from a This American Life podcast, the film tells the true story of Colin Warner who was wrongfully convicted of murder, and how his best friend Carl King devoted his life to proving Colin's innocence. The film stars Lakeith Stanfield as Colin Warner and Nnamdi Asomugha as Carl King.
On August 6, 2015, it was announced that Matt Ruskin would direct a biographical film about wrongfully convicted prisoner Colin Warner based on his own script, which Lila Yacoub would produce along with Black Maple Films and iAm21 Entertainment.[4]Lakeith Stanfield was added to the cast to play Warner who spent 20 years in prison for a crime he did not commit in 1980, when he was just 18 years old.[4]Nnamdi Asomugha would also star as Carl King, Warner's lifelong friend who fought to prove Warner's innocence.[4] On September 15, 2015, newcomer Natalie Paul was cast in the film.[5]
On Rotten Tomatoes, Crown Heights has an approval rating of 77% based on 84 reviews. The site’s critics consensus states, "Crown Heights' heartbreaking fact-based narrative -- and LaKeith Stanfield's remarkable starring performance -- push this powerful drama past its structural flaws."[11]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 64 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[12]
