I know this thread had been quiet for a while, but I just watched that DVD last night. I saw it the sale box in a video store, and bought it.
I watched it twice, the second time with the director's comments on.
I had read Schiller's book last year. I felt he was leaning towards R innocence yet tried to seem impartial.
In the commentary he stated that the Rs gave him liberal access to the R home. The exterior shots were of the actual home and the interior sets recreated the R home exactly, down to every detail- wallpaper, curtains, kitchen, furniture, EVERYTHING. It was just like looking at the acandyrose crime scene photos. The movie was interspersed with the actual local news coverage at the time of the murder, including TV news coverage and on-air interviews with local people. The neighbor across the street (The Barnhills) allowed their home to be used showing JR running to get the new bike JBR got for Christmas that year.
The actor portraying JR was spot on. The PR character ( Marg Helgenberger) less so. Ann Margaret as Nedra was good, and the actor portraying Globe journalist Jeff Shapiro looks remarkably like the real person.
There are many scenes that are accurate- LA being abandoned by her bosses, her initial mistakes, that kind of thing. But there are many that are not portrayed the way we know it. Like the Rs leaving the home after the body was found for the Whites- PR wearing her red plaid sweater/jacket (the one whose fibers were found on the garrote, tape and paint tote) and not her big fur coat (with pockets) that she actually wore. Many of us believe evidence (roll of tape, bloody panties, etc) was smuggled out that day- in her coat. The way PR was shown that day she just had the sweater over her shoulders-it isn't likely she could have hidden anything.
The autopsy scenes (which are NOT graphic and use a dummy JBR, not the actual actress portraying her) show her with arms down at her sides, which would not have been possible as Coroner Meyer stated there was mild to moderate rigor in her elbows at the time of autopsy.
Schiller made a point of showing BLACK DUCT TAPE with a light gray reverse side on the side of a trailer belonging to Chris Wolf and his girlfriend in the scene where she tells the police she thinks he did it.
It also shows them much more genuinely distraught than they were, according to people who were there. JR is portrayed as fairly cooperative with LE (and prevented from being more so by his lawyer). PR is portrayed as cooperative to a point, but evasive. BR is only shown briefly and he is portrayed much younger and smaller than he was at the time. (just in case anyone entertained the thought he might have been responsible).
It's a good one to watch, whether you read his book or not, it shows the perspective of the IDI theorists and the inner politics and rationale (if you can all it that) of the DA/Police/R lawyers. And the director 's (Schiller) commentary adds a lot.