Buy new:
$9.92
FREE delivery Thursday, May 16 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon
Sold by: CLSolutions
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Thursday, May 16 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 21 hrs 36 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$9.92 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$9.92
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon
Ships from
Amazon
Sold by
CLSolutions
Sold by
CLSolutions
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
Ships direct from Amazon!
FREE delivery Wednesday, May 15 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 23 hrs 36 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$9.92 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$9.92
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.

American Violet

Nicole Beharie (Actor), Will Patton (Actor), Tim Disney (Director) Rated:
PG-13
Format: DVD
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 514 ratings
IMDb6.9/10.0
$9.92
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime
FREE Returns
Additional DVD options Edition Discs
Price
New from Used from
DVD
October 13, 2009 		—
1
$9.92
$4.75 $2.16
DVD
August 26, 2013 		—
1
—
$21.09 $19.35
Watch Instantly with Rent Buy
American Violet — —
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$9.92","priceAmount":9.92,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"9","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"92","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"HLJn%2BVBINypJwuxtSIpZScfgO0sl9%2FQulN5CwJvwKQ%2FxKem7bf%2B%2BRX5xkmtyaz2EEj17py76x5IcNYpI%2BBWRvcwg7f00mYeTMg1tVKbGqU6RbJ9okF2RgWTJE97kYGO%2BwquqHfY6EqPV8t%2F%2F5g34QG2QtzbkZeyORQ9FTIOBuNBXW7USzCvvTA%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$6.17","priceAmount":6.17,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"6","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"17","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"HLJn%2BVBINypJwuxtSIpZScfgO0sl9%2FQuVAxdY7RGSLNOD4%2FfTu2zxR1E4mbI385qADRtjRJkELJiVJwe%2FTZ3kzyREDFBXvzid0XfXAFCHwvX3O6pEY%2FCJYj90s808eGF4N%2FVeq74J53%2ByncyJfCwOCcJxu9fxuFoTppcqRMXWGKNUWdxWGEQ9IaFuDVldIou","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Genre Drama
Format Multiple Formats, AC-3, Dolby, Color, Subtitled, NTSC, Widescreen
Contributor Michael O'Keefe, Tim Disney, Malcolm Barrett, David Warshofsky, Karimah Westbrook, Paul David Story, Tim Blake Nelson, Will Patton, Pamela Tyson, Xzibit, Lucinda Jenney, Alfre Woodard, Nicole Beharie, Tim Ware, Charles S. Dutton, Paul Guilfoyle See more
Language English
Runtime 1 hour and 43 minutes
Available at a lower price from other sellers that may not offer free Prime shipping.
Hard Rock apparel
Outerwear, tees, and accessories. Discover the rock shop.

Product Description

Product Description

Falsely accused of distributing narcotics in a school zone, Dee Roberts (Beharie) is offered a deal she can't refuse: plead guilty and accept a 10-year suspended sentence. The alternative: risk serving 16-to-25 in jail. Realizing a conviction would ruin her life, Dee decides to fight back. Suing the DA for racial discrimination, Dee battles impossible odds in a case that will not only change her life but the laws of Texas as well.

Amazon.com

American Violet may be based on the story of outrageous injustices committed against Regina Kelly of Hearne, Texas, but that does not make it a good film. It is, at best, a bad film with an important message. American Violet is about a single mother of four, Dee Roberts (Nicole Beharie), who is wrongly convicted of drug charges due to police racism and corruption. As she struggles to stay out of prison with the help of her mother, Alma (Alfre Woodard), Dee exemplifies a stalwart woman who refuses to plead guilty when offered a plea bargain. While names of characters and the town itself are changed, the story in American Violet is allegedly altered only slightly in hopes of maintaining its tragic truth, that a plea-bargain system in Texas forced, in this case, impoverished and sometimes innocent African Americans to accept guilty charges and their negative aftereffects. American Violet's melodramatic sensibility attempts to spark the same indignation that fuels ACLU lawyer David Cohen (Tim Blake Nelson) to embark on a lawsuit against the head racist, district attorney Calvin Beckett (Michael O'Keefe). Cohen, with the help of a former narcotics officer, Sam Conroy (Will Patton), discovers enough evidence to disturb any viewer. While it is crucial to have artful dialogue about this politically offensive topic, American Violet is not finely scripted or cinematically engaging enough to elevate it above second-hand documentary. Still, since the film does cover meaningful territory, there may be a place for it in classrooms, or it may inspire others to work on further exposing gross injustice for the benefit of our society. --Trinie Dalton

Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 2.35:1
  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.52 x 5.35 x 7.42 inches; 2.72 ounces
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ IMG2938DVD
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Tim Disney
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, AC-3, Dolby, Color, Subtitled, NTSC, Widescreen
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 43 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ October 13, 2009
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Nicole Beharie, Will Patton, Alfre Woodard, Charles S. Dutton, Xzibit
  • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Spanish
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Image Entertainment
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002FUIJ24
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 514 ratings

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
514 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

P. M. Brockton, MA
5.0 out of 5 stars An artistic and brutal portrayal of what the so called american justice system is really about
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2017
Verified Purchase
American Violet has put on trial the entire “so called” American justice system through the plight of Deedee, the heroin of the story.
With meticulous and magic strokes, script writer Bill Haney had touched many of the issues that plague the disenfranchised in the American society, in majority the African American communities: deep poverty, single parent family (DeeDee Roberts, the heroin is raising three daughters on her own with the occasional help of her mother, played by Alfree Woodard), lack or absence of opportunities to move up on the social ladder, and also how the so called american justice system is more about convicting people at all cost, no matter whether someone is innocent or not, so that counties in the United States with the highest number of convictions can put themselves in the position to receive more money from the federal government.
There is something fundamentally flawed about the so called justice system that we as humans have put in place throughout our history on this earth. The French writer of the nineteenth century, Honoré de Balzac, once said “that human laws are like a spider webs crafted to let the big ones go through and catch the little ones”. Those words ring true to this day. It is above human comprehension why the powerful ones among us put so much energy, time and resources to put in place an entire judicial system whose only goal is to oppress – and oftentimes – suppress a group that is deemed to be different. In the case of that movie, the African American people whose ancestors had been enslaved for several centuries and their descendants continuously are the target of unfair carriages of justice. Through the myth of Prometheus, we learned how fire got in the hands of mankind. Regardless of how Justice as a tool got to us, , it was NOT supposed to be put in the hands of mankind given our natural flaws and the biases passed down to us by our environments.
The ACLU lawyer (a white man) along with his two aides (another white man and a black man) in that movie represents a glimmer of hope by taking on a corrupt judicial establishment. The ACLU lawyer and his aides – through their fights for real justice - symbolize a very rare breed of humans in our world who still believe in the words written by a gentleman a couple of centuries ago declaring that “all men are created equals” should not just be cold letters drawn on a piece of a historical document, but a reality that EVERY human being on this planet should enjoy regardless of the color of the skin or the amount of money – or lack thereof - in a bank account.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
santasmoviereviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Good look at Dirty Cops and Law Enforcement
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2014
Verified Purchase
This is a great story showing how little towns and their "DRUG TASK FORCE" program will falsly attack and convict people in a kangaroo court system. The town of Dyersburg TN. also has this problem and it needs addressed. Example: They will pull you over and find something in your car like a Home burned dvd and say you are in the bootleg business and the proceed to rob you.
Trust me this is a true event. If you don't believe me you can contact Lynn Waller of the dyersburg TN task force.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
bestillandknowGod
5.0 out of 5 stars Is there anything we can do?
Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2011
Verified Purchase
What can we do as individuals, as concerned citizens, as people of good heart, love for God, and humane? What is wrong with this world? This is awful. I am truly sick really sick of this kind of "talking out both sides of our mouths". Forget the environment and war. We are in war right here in America. Racism is growing and at an all time high! Please God we pray direct us, intervene, help us, guide us, hear our plea. This has got to stop!!
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Kimberly R Lee
5.0 out of 5 stars Please put on prime or alternative.
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2021
Verified Purchase
Girls movie 🎥 night. This movie is great and should be included with prime. This was very informative and should be excessable to all women!
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Christie Billups, D.Min.
5.0 out of 5 stars Opens Our Eyes!
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2013
Verified Purchase
A really important film looking at race and the so-called 'drug war.' It helps us to face the racist legacy of some of our police departments and the multi-faceted challenges of single parenthood, trying to get ahead, and being oppressed all at the same time. I've used it in a course on prison ministry so that students can see the inequities, stereotypes and just plain injustice Black communities in general and Black women in particular face with some regularity. Very moving!
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Serene Grace
5.0 out of 5 stars Great movie!!
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2021
Verified Purchase
This movie is great! It still depicts what we have to go through in society still til this day!
Helpful
 Report
John Brown
3.0 out of 5 stars Little too much of Cursing for me!
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2024
Verified Purchase
Positive movie but a little too much swearing for me!🤫🫢🤭🫣
Helpful
 Report
Trina Burchett
4.0 out of 5 stars Racist Intent
Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2009
Verified Purchase
One minute Dee Roberts (Nicole Beharie) is making an honest living as a waitress and sharing her dreams with a customer and soon after she's snatched away by police. Her four daughters go without their mother for twenty-one days while she spends time in jail for a crime she did not commit.

Dee lives in Melody, TX. The police have been raiding her community of Arlington Springs since she was a child, terrorizing less fortunate people of color and her so-called lawyer wants her to become one of many affected by plea bargains. Dee could have been like those who pleaded guilty under duress, but it was the love she had for her own children that gave her the courage to make a difficult choice. She decided to help ACLU lawyers David Cohen and Bryon Hill and a lawyer who resided in Melody, TX, Sam Conroy (Will Patton), fight to make things right. Dee was advised against taking a stand and, yes, she was afraid at times but she had the support of people close to her and she took her problems to Jesus.

When I heard about this film months ago I believe it only played in select theaters so I didn't get to see it. I was glad to come across it on dvd. Like most movies dealing with racial discrimination, parts of this movie irritated me but I did like American Violet.

"After what they did to me, mama, they made it my business!" - I liked that line. And the words confidential informant Porter (Anthony Mackie) spoke at the end of the pre-trail deposition - deep.
American Violet is based on a true story and I applaud Regina Kelly for her courage.
8 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Trim Vis 44
5.0 out of 5 stars The incidents are like something out of Kafka — no shock as most ...
Reviewed in Canada on January 15, 2017
Verified Purchase
I never find "Based On A True Story" much of an attraction so I bought this mostly on the strength of Nicole Beharie. I found it riveting. Other reviews have detailed the 'plot' so I won't repeat that. The incidents are like something out of Kafka — no shock as most of us know the frustration of dealing with bureaucracy — and it is hard to conceive that this kind of corruption and attitude was (probably is) prevalent in modern-day Texas. (At the end of the movie the fates of the various characters are summarized and the problematic DA was re-elected!)

If you take out the 'true story' element this is a gripping story of marital abuse and a mother's fight for her children and the always likeable Beharie (Sleepy Hollow — sadly missed in Season 4) gives a terrific, emotionally draining performance. Michael O'Keefe is also excellent. He used to be such a nice young man but lately he's always a villain and here he's downright scary. Great little movie — never a dull moment.
Report
A reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping and shocking drama
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 13, 2014
Verified Purchase
The civil rights movement in the 1960s (Martin Luther King Jnr., Malcolm X and so on) dramatically reduced, but did not eliminate, the amount of racism in American society. This movie, which is based on a true story, tells what happens when, in 2000, a young, black, poor mother of four is falsely accused of being a drug dealer. She is given a choice: face trial and, if found guilty, spend decades in prison; or accept a plea bargain, which means she will have a criminal record but do probation rather than time in prison. However, the criminal record obtained via the plea bargain would make her ineligible for receiving various forms of social benefit, such as housing and food stamps. She decides to not accept the plea bargain. The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) decides to defend her because they think her case can be used to challenge what they see as a corrupt and racist part of the judicial system. (You can find a comparison of the movie to the real events it is based on in a Wikipedia article that has the same title as the movie.)

I rented this movie because I have an interest in the history of various types of prejudice and bigotry (racism, homophobia, sexism and so on). I was expecting it to be an informative but somewhat boring made-for-TV movie. I was delighted to find that my low expectations were shattered. The movie is as dramatic and gripping as any Hollywood blockbuster. It is fantastic entertainment, and I will be buying a copy for my DVD collection.
One person found this helpful
 Report
giga-1
5.0 out of 5 stars Sehenswert und unfassbar
Reviewed in Germany on September 9, 2013
Verified Purchase
Ein beklemmender Film, der sehr deutlich aufzeigt, dass Rassismus immer noch ein Thema ist. Genau wie die jüngsten Nachrichten es vermuten lassen, scheint es immer noch nicht überall angekommen zu sein , dass es nur "den Menschen " gibt..... Hautfarbe ist dabei ein überflüssiges Attribut wie reich-arm-hässlich-schön-machtlos-mächtig etc. Was den Film so herausragend macht ist, dass er auf wahren Begebenheiten beruht....... und obwohl erkannt...... sich in der Realität nur sehr wenig dadurch geändert hat.
4 people found this helpful
 Report
Hans-Joachim Kusenbach
5.0 out of 5 stars Das Märchen vom gewaltfreien Amerikaner,
Reviewed in Germany on May 12, 2013
Verified Purchase
der nicht verstehen will, dass Mensch sein und Kultur haben mit weiß nichts zu tun haben. Der weltweit zeigt, wie ein fast kulturloses, geld- und komsumbegehrendes Einwanderungsvolk mit Konflikten umgeht. Ein Film, der die Hoffnung speist, dass es heute in Amerika Konfliktlösungen gibt auch ohne die Gewalt des gut vernetzten hässlichen Amerikas. Schauspielerisch sehr überzeugend gespielt, still und ohne Hassgefühle zu pflegen.
2 people found this helpful
 Report
scharferfilm
5.0 out of 5 stars beeindruckend....
Reviewed in Germany on September 4, 2015
Verified Purchase
hier bekommt man eigentlich angst und bange und sieht wie das system im sogenannten land der unbegrenzten möglichkeiten funktioniert,nämlich gar nicht außer man hat die richtige hautfarbe.super gut gemachter film der aufrüttelt aber leider nichts bewirken wird solange solcher menschlicher rassistischer abschaum am zuge ist.............
One person found this helpful
 Report