In 1965, a black female lawyer, Dovey Roundtree, undertakes the challenging defence of Raymond Crump, a black man accused of murdering Mary Pinchot Meyer, JFK’s former mistress, in Ralph Cinque’s Dovey’s Promise.
Ralph Cinque is a name that may be familiar to readers of Screen Critix, as we’ve reviewed a number of his films over the years. Some of the films Cinque has written have been directed by others, while he has also directed himself. His films are always fascinating, especially on the occasion he tackles true stories. Dovey’s Promise is one of those interesting stories, as it deals with a JFK story I hadn’t come across before. I knew JFK’s weakness was women, but I didn’t know about the murder of one of his former lovers.
Cinque takes us back to a humid 1965, a time still full of racial tension and political secrets. The murder, which is key to the story, is of Mary Pinchot Meyer (played with delicate sadness by Elisabeth Joy), a woman whose relationship with the recently murdered President John F. Kennedy (Christopher Phipps) casts a long shadow over the proceedings. Our protagonist is Dovey Roundtree, a Black female lawyer played by the talented Joy White. Dovey is presented not just as a lawyer, but as a female Atticus Finch – a huge beacon in a troubled world, a civil rights warrior, saviour of the vulnerable, and a pillar of her church and community.
When the desperate mother of Raymond Crump (played innocently by Terrence Monbrun), a young black man accused of Meyer’s brutal, almost execution-style killing, pleads for help, Dovey accepts the case pro bono. The evidence, as Cinque tells it in his story, is indeed flimsy, circumstantial, and riddled with inconsistencies. Crump’s nervous misstatements to the police are understandable, but the lack of physical evidence, the missing murder weapon, and the absence of a clear motive all point to a prosecution fuelled, possibly, by the racial biases of the time.
The courtroom sequences are the film’s strength and crackle with tension. Cinque and his cinematographer, Troy Bakewell, use low-angle shots to symbolize a character’s dominance, while high-angle shots suggest vulnerability or the weight of judgment. Close-up shots aim to invite the audience to connect with characters on an equal footing, creating a sense of objectivity.
Joy White’s performance as Dovey Roundtree is the film’s anchor. She provides her with a profound sense of moral authority and intelligence, her eyes conveying both empathy and an unwavering strength to do the right thing. The courtroom drama is genuinely exciting, with sharp arguments and twists keeping us firmly in our seats, while the supporting cast are all pretty solid. An issue may be that Cinque tends to allow the technical elements to linger a little too long. We don’t need to be shown everything to understand that the stakes are high. A tighter edit in these scenes would have helped to amplify the already considerable suspense.
Despite these minor reservations, Dovey’s Promise is a compelling and important film, shining a light on an often overlooked case and introducing us to a remarkable woman who stood against the tide of prejudice and power. Cinque’s Dovey may seem practically perfect in every way, diluting some of the drama, but who is to say she wasn’t any of those things? Joy White’s commanding presence ensures Dovey’s Promise delivers a powerful message about the fight for justice in a country still grappling with shock, grief, paranoia, and race. While it could have benefited from a more nuanced portrayal of Dovey to give us more to chew on, it is easily Ralph Cinque’s best film and deserves to be seen by a much wider audience.
Leave a Reply