‘Indictment,’ a Detroit tale of double identity, makes its theater debut

Local author and producer Dennis Reed II premieres his first film, Indictment: Dead Witnesses Can't Talk this weekend, a labor of love born from the streets.

The movie is a spin-off from his book series True Law. Indictment tells the tale of Jonathan, an upper middle-class family man who seems to have it all. The story unfolds when it's revealed to the audience that the PTA-attending father lives a double life as drug dealer. After a series of unfortunate events, Jonathan's life is under surveillance, when his best friend, an FBI agent, opens an investigation into his line of work.

Intertwined in the plot are details Reed knows full well.

Reed, born and raised on Detroit’s west side, says he began his writing career in 2005 after he was confronted with a life-or-death situation: An injury sustained after being caught in gunfire, directly tied to his former drug-dealing activities.

While meeting with someone close to him one evening, he says, “I heard the gunshots, before I knew I was shot.”

When he realized he was hurt — and that the person responsible was a friend — Reed tried to run away. “He was shooting at me in front of kids.”

After spending 30 days in the hospital, Reed knew he had leave the streets behind to make a change for himself, his children and his family.

After Reed realized his storytelling talents, he decided to dive head first into creative media. After writing a novel, Reed began writing and producing films and plays.

And he has no plans on slowing down anytime soon. The filmmaker and producer says he wants to make movies that audiences will want to watch over and over.

“Each premiere feels like Christmas,” he says. The anticipation of what's inside the minds of the audience while watching his productions is a feeling he doesn’t see himself wanting to give up anytime soon.

Oh, and be on the lookout for his next projects Bad Grade and Chopped Up.

Indictment: Dead Witnesses Can’t Talk premieres at the Bel Air Luxury Cinema on Saturday September 24th,  from 7:30-10:30. General Admission tickets are $30, and VIP tickets are $40. For more information, visit eventbrite.com