For the Defense (1930)
*** (out of 4)
Exciting drama from Paramount has lawyer William Foster (William Powell) at the top of his game. He's a lawyer who plays strictly by the book but what rubs people the wrong way is that he gets criminals and thugs off of their crimes. Foster's skill is put to the test when the woman he loves (Kay Francis) asks him to defend a man that Foster knows loves her too. Things take a complicated turn when Foster learns that it was the woman who actually did the crime.
Back in the 1930s it wasn't uncommon for Hollywood to take newspaper headlines and wrap them into a movie. This film is partially based on the career of lawyer William Fallon who was flawless when it came to defending some of the biggest criminals of the era. FOR THE DEFENSE is a really good movie that has some terrific performances, a rather good story and an ending that really packs a nice little punch. The film manages to keep you caught up in the story from the opening credits up until the very end so fans of classic Hollywood are really going to enjoy this.
I think the greatest thing about the picture is the performance of Powell. When watching his films today it's amazing to see how easy he makes acting look because he could pretty much transform himself into any type of role and this here is what he is best at.
This is a very smart character, constantly thinking and constantly on the movie. Powell plays this with ease and manages to build a real character. Francis is also very good, although her role isn't nearly as memorable. William B. Davidson also deserves a lot of credit as the District Attorney who can never beat Foster and sees him getting criminals off as a major problem for the safety of the country.
The story itself has a couple nice twists and turns along the way and there's no doubt that director John Cromwell knows how to handle the material and he keeps the film moving at a very nice pace. The great thing about Turner Classic Movies is that you can always stumble across films with actors that you know but perhaps films you haven't heard of. It's really too bad that FOR THE DEFENSE isn't better known today because it's a perfect example of a great cast, a strong story and how these small movies used to be made for quality.
*** (out of 4)
Exciting drama from Paramount has lawyer William Foster (William Powell) at the top of his game. He's a lawyer who plays strictly by the book but what rubs people the wrong way is that he gets criminals and thugs off of their crimes. Foster's skill is put to the test when the woman he loves (Kay Francis) asks him to defend a man that Foster knows loves her too. Things take a complicated turn when Foster learns that it was the woman who actually did the crime.
Back in the 1930s it wasn't uncommon for Hollywood to take newspaper headlines and wrap them into a movie. This film is partially based on the career of lawyer William Fallon who was flawless when it came to defending some of the biggest criminals of the era. FOR THE DEFENSE is a really good movie that has some terrific performances, a rather good story and an ending that really packs a nice little punch. The film manages to keep you caught up in the story from the opening credits up until the very end so fans of classic Hollywood are really going to enjoy this.
I think the greatest thing about the picture is the performance of Powell. When watching his films today it's amazing to see how easy he makes acting look because he could pretty much transform himself into any type of role and this here is what he is best at.
This is a very smart character, constantly thinking and constantly on the movie. Powell plays this with ease and manages to build a real character. Francis is also very good, although her role isn't nearly as memorable. William B. Davidson also deserves a lot of credit as the District Attorney who can never beat Foster and sees him getting criminals off as a major problem for the safety of the country.
The story itself has a couple nice twists and turns along the way and there's no doubt that director John Cromwell knows how to handle the material and he keeps the film moving at a very nice pace. The great thing about Turner Classic Movies is that you can always stumble across films with actors that you know but perhaps films you haven't heard of. It's really too bad that FOR THE DEFENSE isn't better known today because it's a perfect example of a great cast, a strong story and how these small movies used to be made for quality.