“The series must be commended for its courage as well as the richness of its storytelling”
The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, Disney+
“The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox has its flaws. The mannered, Wes Anderson-lite openings to each episode sit uneasily with the harrowing hours to which they give way and the script – particularly in those openings – can be dreadful. Fortunately, the main parts are held together by an unreservedly brilliant performance by Grace Van Patten as Knox, the ebullient, naive, overconfident, shattered young woman caught in so many currents and cross-currents it seems a miracle that she ever made it back to shore.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian
“If Knox’s goal was to make us see exactly what hell she went through, she has succeeded. The interrogations, Knox disadvantaged by the language barrier, the trial and prison scenes are harrowing to watch, the unfairness beggaring belief. There have been documentaries and other programmes made about the case, so did we need a drama lasting several hours about it 18 years on? Probably not. But Knox probably needed, and has earned, the catharsis. Maybe this will put an end to it.”
Carol Midgley, The Times
“Save for a superb central performance from Grace Van Patten, the series offers little but a litany of reasons to feel sorry for Knox, who was wrongly found guilty of the crime. At times, it has the feel of a bad TV movie.”
Chris Bennion, The Telegraph
“No doubt, The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox is ambitious – in terms of its structure, characterisation, and agenda of setting a long-warped record straight. But the series’ first two instalments rise elegantly to meet these high standards. And although later episodes threaten to lose that focus, the series must be commended for its courage as well as the richness of its storytelling.”
Emily Watkins, The i
“It offers something that is rare in a series, so absolute in its convictions: genuine insight. For the most part, however, The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox serves only to deepen the voyeuristic mythology around its subject.”
Nick Hilton, The Independent
“This 10-part documentary follows Tommy around his soulless Cheshire mansion, goes motoring with him in his flash cars, and hangs around at the gym while he trains for his next fight. Why the Beeb thinks anyone, even on its backwater ‘yoof’ channel BBC3, needs five hours of Tommy is beyond comprehension.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail
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