By Miv Evans
A Double Life has everything. True crime. Treachery. Tragic victim. Self-sacrificing hero. Omnipotent villain. International subterfuge. A thriller could want no more but this, in fact, is a compelling documentary.
Stephen Bingham was born into the Connecticut elite. He attended Yale and, after participating in a Freedom Summer civil rights project, he decided to pursue a career in law. On graduating, he became a legal aid lawyer, believing his destiny was to help those in need. By the age of 29, he had earned a reputation as being one of the most radical lawyers of his time.
George Jackson grew up in the ghettos of Los Angeles. He was incarcerated in San Quentin when he was 19. It was here that he served the longest prison sentence in California history for stealing $71. During his protracted imprisonment, his activism was given birth. By the age of 29, he had become the best selling author of ‘Soledad Brother’ and the founder of the Black Panther Family.
By the age of 29, J. Edgar Hoover was the director of the FBI. He was nervous about the growing presence of activism, in particular the Black Panthers, and ordered his counter intelligence to target them. The National Lawyers Guild of America was also in his sights, who he described as “more dangerous than the people throwing bombs.” And with that utterance, he ushered in an era that sought to stifle lawyers who riled against racism.
In 1971, the Black Panthers asked Stephen Bingham, in his legal capacity, to escort one of George Jackson’s visitors into San Quentin. She was denied access and Stephen met with George alone. Just hours after he left, a bloodbath ensued and amongst the six dead was George. He was felled by a sniper’s bullet in an exercise yard, surrounded by 40 foot walls. The FBI claimed Stephen Bingham had smuggled in a gun that caused the carnage. He was indicted on five counts of first degree murder and overnight became an international fugitive.
This politically charged film is a lot more relevant in 2025 America than it should be. Assaults on public media and democracy are being made daily. But even though a dramatization of this story has a guaranteed audience, Hollywood studios have no desire to rattle their capitalist stronghold by amplifying any activist voices.
Fortunately, however, American stories don’t just get made in America. And with the current administration’s global enemies stacking up, the timing of this documentary might just be perfect.
Directed by Catherine Masud
Streaming on Amazon, Google Play and YouTube Movies
Distributed by Indie Rights