Tom Kranz

Philadelphia film maker Tommy Oliver has crafted a detailed and fair retelling of the 1978 MOVE confrontation in the Powelton Village neighborhood of West Philadelphia as the vehicle to examine the efforts of Michael Sims, Jr., in supporting his parents, jailed after the incident. Sims was born in prison to Debbie Sims, one of the so-called MOVE 9 who were jailed following the death of policeman James Ramp during the showdown at MOVE's headquarters. She and her husband, Michael Sr., were ultimately released in 2018 after serving more than 30-years. Much of the film celebrates the reuniting of the family while examining the system that put all the MOVE members in jail in the first place, a system many believe was flawed and unjust. Oliver's use of archival film, video and news reports from the mid 1970's provides a compelling story that pitted a self-styled group of revolutionaries against Mayor Frank Rizzo, whose sheer hatred of MOVE is evident throughout. These were two immovable forces destined for a showdown, and it happened on August 8, 1978. Interviews with MOVE members then and now, police officers, journalists and neighbors shine a light on the fraught relationship MOVE had with its neighbors, and the inevitable violent end to the standoff. 40 Years A Prisoner, shown on HBO and streamed on HBO MAX, is a faithful and informative piece of storytelling. But it's also a reminder that injustice isn't a modern-day phenomenon. At the same time, so much has changed, and so much has stayed the same. Four stars instead of five because the story of the actual shootout so overwhelms the Michael Sims story, I wish Oliver had spent just a little less time on Sims' musings and the drawn out family reunion. Still, a worthy piece of filmmaking!