This gritty documentary covers the events and aftermath of the death of a man whose murderer goes free. The American dream for Chinese-American auto engineer Vincent Chin ends in Detroit at the hands of the drunken, baseball bat swinging racist Ron Ebens. Ebens was the Wisconsin man who moved his family to Detroit in hopes of becoming an auto worker. Fueled by alcohol, Ebens and his stepson Michael Nitz followed Chin to a hamburger stands after losing a bar fight with Chin. Ebens plead guilty to manslaughter and was fined $3,000 and given a suspended sentence. The reaction of Vincent Chin's mother at this miscarriage of justice underscores the frustration of a city that harbors resentment and racism towards Asians. The truth is, Ron Ebens was such a stupid bigot he mistook Chin for being Japanese. He was later found guilty and sentenced to 25 years in Detroit Federal Court, but the his appeal was upheld in Cincinnati Circuit Court. Ebens is interviewed and denies the murder was racially motivated and contends the incident was unfortunate and fueled by too much alcohol.
~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide