Outcry Complete Review: Is it Good & Worth Watching?

Outcry is a bold piece of filmmaking that spans nearly three years and follows the trial of Greg Kelly in his sexual assault case. The case in which a local football star who was accused and sent to jail for sexually assaulting two minors divided a town and destroyed a life and a professional career.

Kondelis followed the developments of the case and the appeal for three years, never knowing what the outcome would be. The series reveals an investigation full of blunders and a legal system that let Greg down. Powerful and emotional, it captures every aspect of the case as it happens.

1. Quick Review

Outcry reveals the psychological complexities that are involved in questioning and believing victims of sexual assault.

It is a powerful and gripping watch that will take you inside the case and make you get emotionally invested in the proceedings. Kondelis shows you how preconceived notions can harm a case and ruin an investigation, destroying an innocent man’s life.

2. Info

3. Is It Worth Watching?

The title of this five-part docu-series has a double meaning. Outcry in legal terms is the first testimony by a victim of sexual assault, the admission that starts an investigation. 

It also refers to the massive outcry and uproar in the local community over this case. The town was divided into two groups one campaigning for Kelly’s innocence and one which believed him to be a pedophile.

I. Plot

The character in focus is Greg Kelly, a rising prospect in American high-school football. The 17-year old had just secured a scholarship to the University of Texas while his parents were in the hospital for various treatments.

Kelly had been staying with his friend Jonathan McCarty whose mother ran a day-care service. In July 2013, a four-year-old informed his mother that Greg had sexually assaulted him. A few days later, another child came forward with a similar accusation.

Greg, who maintained his innocence the entire time, was promptly arrested and brought to trial. An investigation filled with errors and a faulty Police Department ensured that Greg was convicted and sent to prison for 25 years without parole.

A surprising consequence of the trial was that many friends and teammates came forward in support of Greg. They called the trial a farce and demanded a re-investigation, which you hardly see when a man is accused of assaulting two minors.

Outcry examines the misunderstanding around child trauma interviews, and how close evidence-based examination revealed more details and additional suspects.

It shows how prosecutors fabricated a confession by influencing young minds, how the real suspect (who looks like Kelly) was ignored and leaves you feeling shocked and enraged.

II. Filming and Production

Outcry’s director Pat Kondelis has a reputation for showcasing cases where instances of faulty investigations and miscarriages of justice have been carried out.

He said that he was filming Disgraced in 2017 when he heard about the Kelly Case. When he met Kelly’s family, who were desperate for outsider help, their son had already spent two years in prison.

Williamson County has had a long reputation of severe judgments and wrongful convictions. Kondelis takes us on a rollercoaster ride as he begins to look into the case. Unraveling over three years, Outcry shows many revelations and shocking twists coming to light on-camera.

Kondelis reveals the social impact of such an allegation on the community and interviews people, both pro and anti-Kelly supporters. He says that everyone is entitled to their opinion, and in such a volatile case, every side thought they were doing the right thing.

Outcry goes beyond the trial itself and dives deep into a local story that captured national headlines. Greg Kelly was exonerated by the highest court in Texas more than six years after he was initially accused. His struggle to rebuild his life after that is also an emotional and riveting watch as he realizes that he is innocent in legal terms, but not free from cultural stigmas.

4. Grade

5. Final Thoughts

Outcry highlights the complicated balance between believing victims of sexual assault and imprisoning innocent people due to botched police work. It also makes you think that had the accused not been a football star and the case was not tried in Williamson County, would it have garnered so much attention and outcry.

Outcry makes you the investigator as it focuses on Kelly and not on finding the real accused. You’ll be forced to take sides and create an emotional connection when you watch it.