‘Judgment Day’ an Emotional, Nuanced Tale of Revenge

In 1993, Ellie Nesler walked into a California courtroom, pulled out a handgun and fired five shots into the head and neck of the man accused of sexually violating her young son. He died instantly, and Nesler’s subsequent trial set off a national debate over the question of vigilante justice.

Nesler pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 10 years in prison. In 1997, after the California Supreme Court struck down some aspects of the trial, she was allowed to plead guilty to manslaughter and was released for time served.

Those are the bare-bones facts behind USA Network’s “Judgment Day: The Ellie Nesler Story,” starring Christine Lahti in the title role. But there are many layers of emotion, much more detail and one persistent question in this superbly dramatized saga of a real-life tragedy that premieres tonight.

The emotion centers around the work of a talented cast and, in particular, Lahti’s incisive rendering of Nesler. Finding every note, both consonant and dissonant, in what is clearly an extremely complex personality, Lahti makes us believe each sudden shift of emotion, carefully exposing the many streams of feeling that lead up to Nesler’s ultimate act of violence.

Twelve-year-old Andrew Ducote, in the difficult role of her abused young son, Brandon, convincingly portrays the results of the core of inner damage caused by the abuse. And Robert Bockstael as Daniel Driver, the alleged abuser, makes masterful use of small physical gestures and mannerisms to afford a suggestion of the inner workings of a pathologically disturbed individual.

The detail is provided in beautifully conceived fashion by writer-director Stephen Tolkin. Realizing the implicit structural problems in telling a story in which the conclusion is already well-known, Tolkin has devised a script that juxtaposes scenes from Nesler’s trial with segments from the events that led up to the killing. It’s the sort of jumping back and forth that can create all sorts of viewer confusion. But in this case the technique works seamlessly, the unfolding, interacting scenes building gradually but inevitably to the story’s enigmatic climax.

The persistent question--one that divided the American public--is whether or not Nesler was justified in having committed the murder. The law, both moral and legal, obviously has a very specific assessment, one that led to Nesler’s conviction. But many members of the public praised her for the killing with signs and T-shirts bearing messages such as “Nice Shooting, Ellie” and “Let’s Dig Him Up and Shoot Him Again.”

And Nesler herself, after shooting Driver, said, “It’s worth it. I gave my son back his life. I wouldn’t undo it.” (Nesler later recanted, apologizing via a “statement of remorse” as one of the conditions for the plea bargain that led to her release, although the dramatization does not cover that period of her story.)

Wisely, this thoughtful production leaves the question unanswered, closing with a scene that--by virtue of its ambiguity--underscores the ethical and moral dilemma raised by Nesler’s decision to, as her defense attorney proclaims, protect her offspring “with all the ferociousness of a she-wolf.”

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* “Judgment Day: The Ellie Nesler Story” can be seen at 9 and 11 tonight on USA Network. The network has rated it TV-14VL (unsuitable for children younger than 14 with special advisories for violence and coarse language).