I'm a big Al Pacino fan. I bought "And Justice for All" because of the fact that it starred Pacino, and I was excited because I had heard he was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar. Now, after seeing the film, I can see why--his performance is great. Unfortunately, it's a great performance stuck in a lousy movie - "And Justice for All" is incompetently directed and, worst of all, the musical score really, really dates the film and almost makes it hard to watch at times.
The subplots - like Pacino taking a ride on the judge's helicopter and having it crash - are so '70s-ish that I felt as if I were watching an episode of "Starsky and Hutch" or something. Honestly, this movie plays like a cheesy '70s daytime drama with better actors.
Underneath the mess it has a good message about the legal profession. Pacino fans should see it because his performance is one of his best. However I find it hard to warm up to any movie that presents its courtroom scenes with a disco track playing in the background. If someone were to re-edit this film and insert more dramatic music (like a John Williams score or something), it might actually be watchable.
I've never seen music literally ruin a film before, as I have with "And Justice for All." As you watch it (if you should choose to), you might recognize the score - it's the same song you heard in the last elevator you rode in. Yeah, it's that bad. The composer should be shot.
The subplots - like Pacino taking a ride on the judge's helicopter and having it crash - are so '70s-ish that I felt as if I were watching an episode of "Starsky and Hutch" or something. Honestly, this movie plays like a cheesy '70s daytime drama with better actors.
Underneath the mess it has a good message about the legal profession. Pacino fans should see it because his performance is one of his best. However I find it hard to warm up to any movie that presents its courtroom scenes with a disco track playing in the background. If someone were to re-edit this film and insert more dramatic music (like a John Williams score or something), it might actually be watchable.
I've never seen music literally ruin a film before, as I have with "And Justice for All." As you watch it (if you should choose to), you might recognize the score - it's the same song you heard in the last elevator you rode in. Yeah, it's that bad. The composer should be shot.