Anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti were caught up in the anti-immigrant and anti-radical prejudice of their time, and they were convicted of participating in a robbery that resulted in death. Peter Miller has taken a fresh look at the trial and its aftermath and created a compelling documentary that, in addition to reviving interest among those who already know the case, or think they know it, should intrigue a new generation who may not be aware of the injustice perpetrated.

Miller’s method is to, on the one hand, pile on the evidence of how unfair their trial was and how flimsy the case against them was, with prejudice the driving factor among judge and jury alike, and on the other, dramatize their personal lives and views by using Tony Shalhoub as the voice of Sacco and John Turturro as the voice of Vanzetti. The film is also rich commentary and in photos and clips that help tell the story and reflect the time in which they were victimized. Many artists applied their talents to immortalizing the case, another aspect reflected in the film.

Notables of the day spoke out passionately in defense of Sacco and Vanzetti, and after their execution, revelations continued to pile up revealing how much of a role the hysteria of the era played in their conviction, loss of appeals and execution. The case is a shocking example of how a country or a state can unjustly execute people without their being given a fair trial.