The Scream

A Deadly American Marriage

A Deadly American Marriage poster art
Image courtesy of TMDB. Used under license.

Both sides talk, neither adds up.

A Deadly American Marriage revisits the death of Jason Corbett, and rather than picking a lane it lines up every voice — the Martens family, Jason's family, the children caught in the middle — and lets them contradict each other on camera. It is uncomfortable in the way the best true crime is: nobody comes off clean.

The access is genuinely impressive. Hearing the accused and the grieving relatives in the same documentary gives the story a stereo quality most Netflix docs never manage, and the self-defence-versus-murder question stays live right up to the credits.

It sprawls. There is a tighter, angrier ninety minutes buried in here, and the film keeps circling the same testimony instead of pushing forward. If you already know the case, expect stretches where nothing new lands.

Worth watching for the interviews alone, but it mistakes ambiguity for depth a little too often.

What to know before you watch

Is A Deadly American Marriage worth watching?

Leaves you wondering was this really self-defense or was it cold-blooded murder?

What is A Deadly American Marriage about?

Netflix's dissection of the Jason Corbett killing which leaves you wondering who’s telling the truth and who’s lying?

What should I watch after A Deadly American Marriage?

  • Death in Apartment 603
  • Welcome to the Family: The Murder of Dan Markel
  • What Jennifer Did
See more shows like this.

The verdict

6.5/10