"American Hangman" was a well-produced, low-budget film. The premise of the live streaming of a vigilante's trial of a judge was clever and at times insightful. The most memorable portions of the dialogue were the arguments about the inherent flaws in the American legal system.

Donald Sutherland is convincing in the role of the judge, arguing the case of his life. The filmmakers were successful in avoiding a static, single room environment by incorporating the response of the local police and the media. There was an interesting batch of characters, including the veteran police officer about to retire, the rogue tech expert tracking the courtroom scene, and the detective involved in the case that convicted an innocent man. It was apparent at the outset that the detective was defensive about his work and knew that the case was flawed. There was only room for improvement in the characterization of the perp, which was nondescript and bland.

A weakness of the film was in the ending, which was abrupt and lacked any sense of denouement. The audience needed to learn something about the aftermath of this bizarre and painful saga.

"American Hangman" is a made in Canada crime thriller that fires plenty of pot shots at the American judicial system. While the points are laid on a bit thick, there is still much to chew on here. Well intentioned. Well acted. And the great Donald Sutherland (a native Canuck) classes up any joint.

Maybe a story that has been told in a way, but it is interesting take. A few problems. 1) Donald Sutherland's mustache, seriously trim that, totally distracting. like nose hair coming out of his lip. 2) If the killer wanted to get caught just turn yourself in 3) At the end. no way they go in just randomly shooting. also he had the choice not to hold the gun. stupid saying the killer gave me the gun. don't take it, or drop it. the cops knew exactly where the hostage was and what he looked like. they could have easily pin pointed the killer of which they knew what he looked like and what he was wearing.