The Killing Yard
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Euzhan Palcy
Alan Alda
Morris Chestnut
Rose Mcgowan
Christopher Heyerdahl
Tony Nardi
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
A courtroom drama about the aftermath of the 1971 riots at New York's Attica State Penitentiary, focusing on the story of Shango, an African-American inmate indicted for the murder of two white fellow prisoners during the revolt. Even though he'd been extremely ill, Ernie Goodman, one of America's most successful defense attorneys, accepted the challenging case tried in Buffalo in 1975. Goodman very reluctantly acquiesced to Shango's demand to be his own co-counsel. The defense attempted to discredit the prosecution's witnesses and strip away the layers of cover-up and deceit that the state had erected surrounding the deaths of the white inmates. Ernie enlisted the aid of Linda Borus, who served as chief defense investigator and galvanized a group of volunteers to perform the legwork and assist in the jury selection process. Arrayed against them were New York State's massive legal forces headed by Frank Cryan and Daniel Moynihan.Ultimately, Shango was acquitted. All involved in the case knew that the trial's outcome would profoundly affect their lives and careers as well as many issues beyond the courtroom. Among them: the fate of New York State's other Attica inmate cases resulting from the 1971 riot; prison living conditions and prison reform efforts throughout the United States; and the perception that America's judicial system affords its citizens "equal justice before the law."
Director
![](https://prod-images.tcm.com/Master-Profile-Images/EuzhanPalcy.146711.jpg?imwidth=188&height=141)
Euzhan Palcy
Cast
![](https://prod-images.tcm.com/Master-Profile-Images/AlanAlda.jpg?imwidth=188&height=141)
Alan Alda
Morris Chestnut
![](https://prod-images.tcm.com/v5cache/TCM/Images/Dynamic/i61/rosemcgowan_cu_188x141_100520071202.jpg?imwidth=188&height=141)
Rose Mcgowan
Christopher Heyerdahl
Tony Nardi
Eleanor Mccoy
Jack Daniel Wells
Tyrone Benskin
Robert B Kennedy
Benz Antoine
Chip Chuipka
Lindsay Owen Pierre
Kwasi Songui
John W. Simmons
Amy Sloan
Slim Williams
Henri Pardo
Larry Day
Dean Fleming
Kevin Ryder
Dawn Ford
Charles Doucet
Marcel Jeannin
Steven Grisé
Bombyx Du Murier
Lesley Faulkner
B Martin Sage
Amanda Strawn
Tom Rack
Martin Kevan
Mark Trafford
Bill Corday
Don Kirk
David Schaap
Terence Bowman
Donovan Reiter
Howard Bilerman
Angelo Cadet
Mark-anthony Krupa
Patrick Kerton
Mary Katherine Harvey
Yardly Kavanagh
Ernie Jackson
Marlon Long
Anderson Chet Bradshaw
Crew
Karl Archambault
Josee Arsehault
Francis Bach
Leslie Beauchamp
Annabelle Berkani
Jacqueline Bisbano
Alain Bisson Doyal
Jesabelle Boileau
Sylvie Boily
Linda Borus
Virginie Boudreault
Michael Boulonne
Andree Bouvier
Roy Braverman
Pierre Brunet
Frances Calder
Christian Caperaa
Andre Caron
Caterina Chamberland
Christiane Charpentier
John Cherniak
P Byron Clark
Linda Corbin
Isabelle Cote
Louis Craig
Francois Daignault
Rick Dalby
Denis Danault
Marc Desourdy
Sylvaine Dufaux
Charles Dugas
Jacques Dupuis
Paris Evangelou
Catherine Faucher
Guy Ferland
Rejéan Forget
Claude Fortier
Marc Furtadd
Benita Garvin
Benita Garvin
Catou Gelinas
Kristian Girard
Paul E Girardin
Freda Goodman
William Goodman
Normand Goyer
Michael Graham
Marie-maude Grenier
Ramzy Haddad
Robert L Harman
Barbara Harris
Robert B Harris
Andre Hatelle
Christian Havennec
Claude Hazanavicius
Fritzi Horstman
David Jobe
Allison Johnston
Philippe Juneau
Jim Korris
William Kraft
Christian Labrie
Roger Lacroix
James Lafferty
Michael Laine
Paul Lamastra
Francois Lamontagne
Anne-marie Langevin
Ftlix Larivifre-charron
Felix Lariviere
Estelle Lasher
Sylvie Laurin
Sebastien Lebreau
Dominique Leroutier
Alfonso Maigraha
Nicoletta Massone
Pierre R Matte
Joseph Mattina
Patrice Merrit
Vera Miller
Chris Moriana
Michele Morris
Helen Mossler
Michelle Mundy
Julie Olsen
Lori Openden
Amanda Ottaviano
Éric Peissard
Louis-martin Pepperall
Michel Perrault
Marjolaine Perron
Louise Pilon
Pierre Plante
Colleen Quinton
Dany Racine
Claude Reimnitz
Charlaine Ricaro
Geoff Robison
Daniele Rohrbach
Nadia Rona
Katherine Rose
Martin Roy
Patrice Rushen
Shirley Savard
John W. Simmons
Danette Smith
Karine St Germain
Danny Turgeon
Marcus Von Hultzendorpp
Burt Weinstein
Carol Wells
Jonathan Wenk
Neal Winter
Joan Ziff
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Aired in United States September 23, 2001
Aired in United States July 2, 2002
Began shooting mid September 2000.