A gripping and at times brutally violent film Hate Crime explores the devastation wreaked on the lives of those closest to the victim The difficulty of understanding the senseless killing and coping with the grief becomes chilling when justice appears to be a dicey commodity Overall the acting and direction is gripping.I was profoundly moved at this deepening tragic tale. Stereotypes for sure,but the characters' torment and pain is at times harrowing. A great film handling social and personal issues. Christianity as portrayed by the insanely righteous hellfire and damnation evangelical type or the more sedate god is love variety, the justice system choking with pessimism and poor PR The movie says a lot, and says it well.

Hate Crime did have my complete interest and care for its characters and it did make me cry like a small child with a freshly skinned knee. Its status as a direct-to-video production did not exactly maintain that grace. What I described in my first sentence here is a film that satisfied three major and vital departments as an audience. There are much better films that should do such a good job making us care, making us cry, but unfortunately this is not a better film.One of its major detractions is in the acting. Seth Peterson, who stars, is off the hook with me, because he was very convincing and the only actor in the film that was not so stilted and did not make every line so visibly scripted. Even Lin Saye, whose past credits include the hilariously disgusting landlord in Kingpin and the eavesdropping chain-smoking neighbor in There's Something About Mary, loosens the film's grip on you. This can be bearable until the stomach- churningly misfired dramatic scene between Cindy Pickett and Sean Hennigan, where their painfully insecure deliveries are further crippled by the stale and two-dimensionally written scene.See, while the movie is very enjoyable, it carries some of the stereotypes of direct-to-video productions. On the bright side, it's one more movie for people to see about homophobia and its often devastating effects, it's one more movie to satisify those who have an appetite for vindication and comeuppance, and it fulfills those three said vital elements of watching a movie.

I projected this movie last year when it was shown at a film fest I was working at. This is THE STUPIDEST type of movie I have ever seen. It's a Lifetime Channel movie, only with a vengeful lover instead of a vengeful wife. If there was just one substitution made, the gay couple for an interracial couple, you would have a terrible wannabe social commentary film.The film follows Robbie, who's lover Trey is bludgeoned with a baseball bat one night, as he tries to solve the crime and prove it was his hyper-Evangelic loony neighbor. What follows is a bunch of conundrums wrapped in a McGuffin of an idiotic ending. If this movie was trying to make a point in the pantheon of gay cinema, its that there can be moronic thrillers that play on stereotypes from gay people too. If you want a good movie, see something else. If you want to have you want a hate crime committed on you so to end the pain of this mind-numbing dreck, rent this idiotic mystery.

I seen this movie this past fall at the Houston Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.It was seen by such few people because it was on a Monday nite. It was one night only.It was one of the better gay related movies i have seen. What a powerful story.It was also very emotional. This could really happen which made it so more interesting to watch.I'm not sure why this movie wasn't released.I am trying to find the DVD. I would buy it so other people i know can see this movie.