Search - Journeys in Black: Johnnie Cochran on DVD

Johnnie's Son is Hot! Like Daniel Sunjata!

Jeffery Mingo | Homewood, IL USA | 04/06/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This documentary is rah-rah and feel good. Michael Jackson? O.J.? Todd Bridges?: Johnnie Cochran has represented many black men who I wouldn't want my sons to have as role models, if I had sons. Cochran is portrayed as a strong family man, a snappy dresser, and a constant victor. So know this is not a critical documentary.

That aside, I did like this disc. In the middle of it, Cochran said that his biggest pride comes from helping the un-famous. When he lists all the everyday black folk that have been dissed that he helped, I was awesomely impressed. At one point, he states, "On my epitaph, I want it to say......" Too bad, he didn't know how prescient he was being. He truly used the law to help all African Americans. He will be sorely missed.

Because this film covers decades of media coverage, many of the shots include grainy filming and newspaper articles turning brown. Hilariously, there are many photos of Cochran from the 1970s sporting huge Afros and wearing gigantic butterfly collars. The mole over his left eye stands out, to me, as much as Cindy Crawford's mole near her lips. He never brings it up (or explains why he never got rid of it).

This film includes laudatory interviews from O.J., P. Diddy, Todd Bridges, and others. However, Michael Jackson did not offer an interview for this documentary. I think it's very ungrateful of him. Perhaps he's reaping what he sowed.

This film includes a whole rap about Johnnie. The credits don't mention who performed it. It was both corny and inspiring that a lawyer, of all people, has been rapped about. Johnnie implies that the answer for all young black men is to attend law school and having attended and hated law school, I hope viewers don't take his advice.

Do take the opportunity to see this work on a late hero if you can."