What is Four Died Trying about? Documentary explained

A new documentary examines the assassinations of four men trying to enact change: President John F Kennedy, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr, and Senator Robert Kennedy. Here are more details on what the series is about, who’s in it, and if it’s worth watching. 

On November 22 this year, it will be the 60th anniversary of the assassination of former US President John F Kennedy. A number of platforms are releasing documentaries on the world-changing event, including Paramount Plus with JFK: What the Doctors Saw.

But one documentary series is looking at the wider issue at play, and how four key figures striving for change and peace were shot down in their prime before their movements could make a lasting impact on America – and the world. 

Here’s what you need to know about Four Died Trying, from what it’s about to if it’s worth watching. 

What is Four Died Trying about?

From director John Kirby and producer Libby Handros, Four Died Trying is a groundbreaking documentary series that chronicles the lives and deaths of President John F Kennedy, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr, and Senator Robert Kennedy.

Check out the prologue below: 

As per a press release: “In the last years of their lives, each of these men joined in an unprecedented struggle to end war, poverty, and injustice. Besides a common cause, did they share a common enemy? Does the world created by their brutal murders persist even today? Did the forces that destroyed the hopes of a generation only grow more powerful in the absence of a true accounting?

“Over seven years in the making, with over 120 interviews and counting, Four Died Trying goes far beyond official reality to offer mind-blowing insights from family members, colleagues, officials, critics, witnesses, and even enemies. Everything we thought we knew about modern American history is about to change.”

It continues: “Season 1 of the series examines the work these four iconic Americans were doing that led to their deaths. What lessons do their efforts hold for us today, as we face an unprecedented centralization of wealth and power, the erosion of democratic institutions, the breakdown of civil society, and the age of high-tech official censorship?

“In Season 2, the series delves into the wealth of evidence contradicting the official stories of the assassinations and the complex machinery of cover-up overseen by a captured state-corporate media. More troublingly, the series asks: Was each of their murders a ‘false mystery’ all along, aided and abetted by our unwillingness to risk our lives to confront the truth? Did we trade short-term security for a lasting dystopia?”

Who’s in Four Died Trying?

Four Died Trying features over 120 interviews and counting. Among some of the key figures who appear in the docu-series are: 

• Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Kennedy family member
• Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, Kennedy family member
• Stephen Kennedy Smith, Kennedy family member
• Martin Luther King III, King family member
• Bernice King, King family member
• Isaac Farris, Jr, Reverend King’s nephew
• Illaysa Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X
• Rodnell Collins, cousin and biographer of Malcolm X
• Mort Sahl, colleague of JFK
• Dick Gregory, friend of MLK and Malcolm X
• Adam Walinksky, aide to RFK
• Peter Edelman, aide to RFK
• Andrew Young, aide to MLK
• Clarence Jones, aide to MLK
• Jesse Jackson, aide to MLK
• Peter Bailey, colleague of Malcolm X
• Ahmed Osman, spiritual advisor and friend to Malcolm X

Other notable names in Four Died Trying include Oliver Stone, the Reverend James Lawson, Robert Dallek, Jim Douglas, David Talbot, Roger Stone, Warren Commission staffer Howard Willens, House Select Committee Chair Robert Blakey, and dozens more.

Is Four Died Trying worth watching?

Although there are no reviews or a Rotten Tomatoes score, Four Died Trying is expected to be a compelling watch, not least due to the extensive research and interviews that went into creating the documentary series. 

As stated in the release: “With crisp storytelling, high production values, and an innovative animation style, Four Died Trying evokes the tectonic changes of the 1960s and the massive damage done to the causes to which the slain leaders dedicated their lives.”

Elsewhere, Datebook, while also recommending JFK What the Doctors Saw, said: “Worthy of a look is Four Died Trying, a documentary series streaming on Apple TV+, Prime Video, and Google Play beginning November 22, which focuses on the JFK, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr, and Robert Kennedy assassinations. 

“I saw the first two episodes, the only ones made available to the press, and at the very least, the series offers an interesting immersion into mid-century history.”

Four Died Trying premieres on November 22, 2023 and is currently available for preorder on AppleTV+. You can read more of our documentary coverage below: 

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