

Deadline is the story of the murder of an African American youth in rural Alabama that has gone uninvestigated, unsolved, and unpunished for almost twenty years. That changes when Nashville Times reporter Matt Harper (Steve Talley) meets an idealistic young blueblood bent on discovering the truth. Harper undertakes the investigation despite the opposition of his publisher, violent threats from mysterious forces, a break-up with his fiancée, and his father's cancer diagnosis.
Acting
Eric Roberts chewing scenery as the sketchy good ol' boy.
Writing
Newspaper procedural details that actually respect the craft.
Director
Curt Hahn
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot entirely in Tennessee despite the Alabama setting—local crews doubled for rural South authenticity on a shoestring budget.
Based on the real 1993 murder of James Earl 'Jimmy' Robinson, whose case remained cold until journalist investigation revived it decades later.