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DVD offers interesting behind-the-scenes look into five popular criminal cases.

I was stoked when I got the copy of Autopsy to review. This HBO original documentary series features prominent forensic examiner Dr. Michael Baden, who has been part of several grisly, landmark cases during his tenure. 

What I was expecting wasn’t exactly what I got – but it was still a great watch. I thought the documentary would feature actual video footage, with Baden talking as he conducted actual autopsies. While we didn’t see this, it did offer up graphic crime scene photographs, personal revelations by Baden about crime scene investigation, and historical details that sometimes get lost in the media frenzy.

Baden takes us through five of his most prominent cases: the assassination of JFK; O.J. Simpson trial; disappearance of the royal Russian Romanov family in 1918; death of Sex Pistol’s Sid Viscious and his girlfriend, Nancy; and the deaths of emergency personnel at the World Trade Center crime scene.

The most interesting are the Romanov case – many still romanticize that little Anastasia lived – and the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. You’d think I would have heard enough about O.J., but through the use of graphic crime scene photos and evidence sheets, Baden explains how the LAPD totally botched the investigation through poor evidence collection and lack of crime scene integrity. It really made me wonder just how many people who could not afford high-powered attorneys were convicted of crimes because of the egregious errors by LAPD personnel. After this 1994 case, the public and law enforcement realized the importance of collecting and retaining evidence to catch the right bad guy.

Instead of focusing on identifying the remains at the World Trade Center site, the documentary dealt with the serious internal injuries and diseases suffered by emergency personnel at the site. Baden discusses how 9-11 forced America’s law enforcement entities to realize that scenes caused by terror should be treated as crime scenes, with proper protective measures for evidence and personnel.

I did not care much for the voice of narrator Marlene Sanders. It was just… odd and distracting. There were also a few times when I felt like the good doc was name dropping. I particularly did not like the scene during the 9-11 segment where Baden “interviews” an NYPD officer forced to retire because of lung disease developed at the World Trade Center site. It felt contrived and unnatural. This was the only segment that deviated from the others, which were a combination of narration and Baden’s comments. It started out feeling like a political statement, but turned out to emphasize not only the collection of evidence at a crime scene, but protection of emergency personnel while doing it.

Autopsy is an interesting 57 minutes, and will definitely appeal to true crime aficionados. I look forward to more from this HBO original documentary series.

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