Paul Newman plays Frank Galvin, an alcoholic lawyer whose legal career is in shambles. When a routine malpractice case is thrown his way, Frank gets one last chance to prove himself. Initially he simply goes through the motions, but when he meets the victim, a young woman who has suffered complications during childbirth and is now reduced to a permanently comatose state, he approaches the case with newfound resolve.
Rejecting a Catholic hospital's offer of a financial settlement, Frank decides to take the case to court. Here he battles both for his client's rights and for his own dignity.
Three big names elevate the film: David Mamet, Paul Newman and Sidney Lumet. Newman gives a great performance and the film is littered with 3 or 4 amazingly acted scenes, all of which play on Frank's sense of shame. Meanwhile, David Mamet provides a suspenseful screenplay, which somehow manages to lift itself above the clichés. Finally, Lumet's direction is beautifully low key. The film is slow during its first half hour, but things quickly pick up pace.
8/10 - Not as good as Lumet's "12 Angry Men" or "The Pawnbroker", but still an excellent courtroom movie. The film has no fancy pyrotechnics, courtroom standoffs, set pieces or monologues, relying instead on quiet dialogue. The film benefits from a familiarity with some of Newman's younger roles.
Worth one viewing.
Rejecting a Catholic hospital's offer of a financial settlement, Frank decides to take the case to court. Here he battles both for his client's rights and for his own dignity.
Three big names elevate the film: David Mamet, Paul Newman and Sidney Lumet. Newman gives a great performance and the film is littered with 3 or 4 amazingly acted scenes, all of which play on Frank's sense of shame. Meanwhile, David Mamet provides a suspenseful screenplay, which somehow manages to lift itself above the clichés. Finally, Lumet's direction is beautifully low key. The film is slow during its first half hour, but things quickly pick up pace.
8/10 - Not as good as Lumet's "12 Angry Men" or "The Pawnbroker", but still an excellent courtroom movie. The film has no fancy pyrotechnics, courtroom standoffs, set pieces or monologues, relying instead on quiet dialogue. The film benefits from a familiarity with some of Newman's younger roles.
Worth one viewing.