Free Chol Soo Lee (2022)

Free Chol Soo Lee review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

Among the many tales of racial discrimination in America, it’s easy for many to fall through the cracks. One of the more notable cases of discrimination within the Asian community was Chol Soo Lee. As a Korean immigrant, Lee was wrongfully arrested in 1973 for the murder of San Francisco Chinatown gang head Yip Yee Tak. He would nearly face the death sentence during his time in prison. While he was eventually acquitted, it was a long and hard journey for freedom that took a wealth of support from California’s Asian community to make sure this injustice was corrected in 1983.

Free Chol Soo Lee documents Lee’s story in a manner that goes beyond simply covering the case. Through the various interviews of those who recall the experience, the grander topics of America’s fervent racism and the division among the Asian community are addressed. The gang war between Wah Ching and Joe Boys led to Tak’s murder and is addressed beyond the greater context of reducing the film to being one of gang violence. Consider that when Lee was fingered as one of the suspects, an old photograph of him was used.

Lee expressed frustrations with the police response before, during, and after his arrest. When arrested for the murder, he displayed an annoyance and fury for authority, remarking how they constantly blamed him and that he’d be better off dead. Thanks to the reporting of K. W. Lee, the pan-Asian community showed great interest in Lee’s case after he had been shuffled around with various public defenders. This led to the formation of the Free Chol Soo Lee Defense Committee, a self-explanatory group of various Asian Americans fighting for Lee’s innocence.

Loaded with archival footage of the 70s and 80s, accompanied by interviews of surviving key players, this documentary captures the tone and drive of the Asian community during this rocky time. The fervor of Lee’s case was long, especially as it was further complicated when Lee murdered another prisoner in self-defense. There’s this strange calm to how the various figures can speak of this hectic time with great focus and insight. Thankfully, this clear nature makes the situation easy to read and get a feel for the crucial moment in this historic case that went to the Supreme Court.

There’s also a deep somberness when considering Lee’s legacy following the case. After his release, there was no apology. He would have other brushes with the law but also try to speak out to the Asian American community. By the time he died in 2014, there is a lingering rage that life was denied, and ten years were removed for no good reason. Even more frustrating is how the inevitable drama based on this case, entitled True Believer (1989), reworked so much of the story that it hardly has any resemblance, focusing far more on the lawyer (played by James Woods) than the accused. Because of such a lacking nature in how Lee’s story unfolded, a documentary such as this feels more than necessary.

Free Chol Soo Lee takes a very stern and respectful approach to document the legacy of the unfortunate man who was wrongfully convicted and inspired a movement. It’s not enough to be aware of such injustices. It requires action fully displayed in this film, where a community banded together to save one of its own. That story is finally told in a manner that isn’t embellished for entertainment or cheapened for drama. Lee was a real person and this film treats his plight as a dire one that could easily crop up again.