This is another well meaning but angry spirited and eventually cartoonish courtroom/revenge drama in the realm of classics like "Twelve Angry Men" and "Anatomy of a Murder" and more modern films like "And Justice For All", "The Verdict" and "Jagged Edge" that does nothing to show us how messed up the law is. For anybody who has ever been on a jury and noticed the animosity between defense and prosecution, as well as the fact that defense isn't often on the side of the defendant oh, this is another frustrating example of why many people do not want to be on jury, and when they are, end up in conflict with fellow jurors. But this isn't about the jury. It is about the angry survivor of a victim (Ron Liebman as the widower of an intended robbery victim pushed onto a Seattle subway station track) and the judge (Beau Bridges), and for the viewer, it's a lost cause because justice becomes about an eye for an eye and a wife for a wife.
I'll never forget the shot of the defense attorney (obviously court appointed) arguing on behalf of her client, then basically snubbing one of them after they try to shake her hand. Her disgust reveals how much she hated being a part of that case, and how much she wishes that she had the power to prosecute and put them away. Liebman goes ballistic, kidnaps Bridges' wife then Bridges, and demands that Bridges finds the evidence to convict, otherwise threatening to kill the wife (Julianne Phillips). Not exactly what you want to see to explain to younger people what justice is, and certainly not a good look at the problems of an inner city where tensions of the family of the obviously guilty create a ton of public outcry on both sides. Views of the black and Hispanic communities may be disturbing with the way they are presented.
The TV footage of Liebman repeating "tick, tock" over and over looks like something out of a film noir, and along with Bridges' nightmare of what he presumes the original looked like from a train passenger's viewpoint, is very depressing. This is the type of intense psychological thriller that movie audiences were over bombarded with in the late 1980's and early 90's, and it was the sign of a very angry movie industry that gave up entertaining for a disturbing view of social justice. In other words, it was the agenda driven viewpoint of a different world of movie makers, and it became exhausting and often tough to take. The acting is phenomenal (although Liebman's Porky Pig impression at the end is laughable) and the situation instantly nail biting, but something about the situation isn't appealing when you have to pick out a film to watch. Working at a video store when it was first released, I noticed that films like this were rented by those who pretty much saw everything but then ended up as dust collectors once moved off of the new release shelf. The somewhat credible first hour leads to a hideousness of the last hour that you must see to believe, although I did applaud how the thugs got their just reward. Liebman's hulking man servant is quite unforgettable, but Liebman wins the award for shear audacity.
I'll never forget the shot of the defense attorney (obviously court appointed) arguing on behalf of her client, then basically snubbing one of them after they try to shake her hand. Her disgust reveals how much she hated being a part of that case, and how much she wishes that she had the power to prosecute and put them away. Liebman goes ballistic, kidnaps Bridges' wife then Bridges, and demands that Bridges finds the evidence to convict, otherwise threatening to kill the wife (Julianne Phillips). Not exactly what you want to see to explain to younger people what justice is, and certainly not a good look at the problems of an inner city where tensions of the family of the obviously guilty create a ton of public outcry on both sides. Views of the black and Hispanic communities may be disturbing with the way they are presented.
The TV footage of Liebman repeating "tick, tock" over and over looks like something out of a film noir, and along with Bridges' nightmare of what he presumes the original looked like from a train passenger's viewpoint, is very depressing. This is the type of intense psychological thriller that movie audiences were over bombarded with in the late 1980's and early 90's, and it was the sign of a very angry movie industry that gave up entertaining for a disturbing view of social justice. In other words, it was the agenda driven viewpoint of a different world of movie makers, and it became exhausting and often tough to take. The acting is phenomenal (although Liebman's Porky Pig impression at the end is laughable) and the situation instantly nail biting, but something about the situation isn't appealing when you have to pick out a film to watch. Working at a video store when it was first released, I noticed that films like this were rented by those who pretty much saw everything but then ended up as dust collectors once moved off of the new release shelf. The somewhat credible first hour leads to a hideousness of the last hour that you must see to believe, although I did applaud how the thugs got their just reward. Liebman's hulking man servant is quite unforgettable, but Liebman wins the award for shear audacity.