Silent Witness (2011 TV Movie) User Reviews

Actually a Pretty Good Movie Except Cliché Ending - Dermot Mulroney Looks Like Hes Dying from Old Age!

[GmalkinSr · 7/10 · 29 December 2011]

This surprisingly was a pretty good movie except for the cliché ending. What shocked me about this movie is how bad Dermot Mulroy looked. I usually don't notice male actors appearances as I'm straight but this guy looked bad, really bad, like he gained 30 years of old age in a week.

As for the movie it was a pretty good legal kind of thriller that kind of had you thinking where is this going in a good way till the clichéd ending.

One thing to me made no sense: Why the guy insisted on taking the stand as even if he was innocent of murder he still as a teacher had sex with a 16 year old girl as he thought this would clear his good name in town like that wasn't important.

If you have nothing better to do this is a good way to kill 2 hours.

Lady Justice is Blind

[lavatch · 7/10 · 14 September 2019]

Sam Robb and Tony Lord were a dynamic due at quarterback and halfback for a legendary football season at Lake City High School. With the clock running out in a memorable game, Sam called an audible, then moved left as if it was a bootleg, halted in his tracks, then rifled a 35-yard touchdown pass to ol' number 22 Tony Lord who was wide open. Now, decades later, will the lawyer Tony Lord be able to work the same magic in getting Sam Robb off the hook on a murder rap?

The conceit of the film is that the attorney Tony Lord had been acquitted of murder of Allison, a young woman Tony was dating at a time when he was still in high school. The stigma lasted, and he is still a pariah to some in Lake City. Now, he must return home to defend his buddy against a similar capital offense.

There are many twists to the plot and some good courtroom scenes in "Silent Witness." But the key to the puzzle of Sam's trial may be the link that it shares with the death of Allison many years ago. The character who possesses the unspoken evidence is the "silent witness" Kate, the long suffering wife of Sam. While sitting in court, the details of the past return in a flood to Kate, and she meets with Tony to convey to him details that will lead to the shattering conclusion.

This TNT production was well-crafted and well-performed. While moments of the film were overly graphic and violent, the strength of the screenplay was in the fast-paced courtroom dialogue. While the legal system may not been perfect, Lady Justice was blind, and the truth emerged due to a tenacious attorney and the painful recollections of an eyewitness.

The perils of translation from book to screen

[davidradlett · 6/10 · 4 March 2023]

"Silent Witness" is one of my favourite free-standing lawyer books, so when I found it available for streaming I was rather excited. The book has a fairly standard core storyline, but it is moved into the "excellent" category because of the depth of character development. In a way this is carried over into the film, in that Dermot Mulroney and Michael Cudlitz match very closely the mental image one forms of the lawyer and his friend who has been accused of murder. But one needs to have read the book to know why. The third key character, played by the excellent Anne Heche is, I think, under-used in the script with the result that a wealth of her character development as the story unfolds is lost. The key problem here is that the book depends heavily and successfully on a detailed back story, and I can imagine the difficulty in fitting this all in to an average-length film. Supporting characters do rather better, in part because understanding them is not so dependent upon the under-used back story. Judd Hirsch puts in a sterling performance as the older lawyer and Lisa Berry is a thoroughly convincing prosecutor. The quality of the film is enhanced by the court scenes, which are rather proficient and not, I think, of the run-of-the-mill Perry Mason-type. The resolution of the story is less convincing in the film as use of certain parts of the back-story would be problematic. The moral: enjoy the film, but read the book!

TNT Mystery Movie entry

[blanche-2 · 8 December 2011]

"Silent Witness" is the third entry into the new "Mystery Movie" that appears on TNT each Tuesday. This was an extra one on Wednesday.

The story concerns top-notch attorney Tony Lord (Dermot Mulroney) who returns to his home town to defend an old friend (Michael Cudlitz), a high school track coach accused of murdering the underage girl with whom he was having an affair. She was found to be pregnant during the autopsy. This murder parallels a murder 28 years early that Lord himself was accused of, but was acquitted.

I've seen two other films in this TNT series, and I have to say I like this one the best so far. The main reason is Dermot Mulroney, who has a strong presence as Tony and really carries this film. Also, the script is pretty good. The rest of the acting is fine, except that Anne Heche's role. She really doesn't have much to do, or if she did, she really didn't register much.

If you like this genre, it's worth seeing.

You'll feel like you've seen it before

[jjjj · 2/10 · 13 October 2021]

Warmed over rehash of every Perry Mason-style courtroom murder mystery you've ever seen, but the wooden acting of the two male leads is what really sinks it. You'd have to be new to the genre not to see the ending coming from a mile away.

I thought it was a Lifetime Movie

[btheree · 2/10 · 13 November 2022]

Dermot Mulroney is in this and he's a solid actor and been in some good movies, so I presumed that this movie would be decent. I might've been wrong. Another reviewer said this was a TNT tv movie, so I might've been wrong it was TNT not Lifetime. It was corny. The plot, the dialogue all of it. I actually said to my husband as we watched that I felt the dialogue was not what teenagers or high school aged kids would say and the screenplay was written by an older white guy who got zero input from women while writing a storyline around a HS sophmore or junior. I was correct on that too. This movie also used the following phrase when referencing an unplanned teen pregnancy: "She was in trouble." That was the type of thing that was said about unplanned pregnancies in the 1950's & 1960's. Not in 2011. Worst of all no teenaged girls who are having sex for the first, second or third time ever are into getting choked by their partner during sex or any of the other sexual acts, or positions described. Just no. That is adult stuff that inexperienced teens don't do their first go round. Total disconnect from reality to the point where it is laughable. Not believable plot. Don't waste your time on this corny movie.

EXCELLENT!!! Very close to the book!

[bronzesrv · 10/10 · 3 November 2018]

I absolutely love this movie. It was so much like the book! That very seldom happens with movies, of course certain things must be shortened and edited to fit a two hour time frame. I read this book about 20 years ago! I never even knew there was a movie on it until now. It was very good! The Twist and the suspense was absolutely perfect, all the veteran actors in here were amazing! This movie is a must-see. And of course it is a movie you will watch more than once.

Pretty good - better than the usual TV murder drama

[phd_travel · 8/10 · 17 November 2012]

This is above average for a TV movie. 90% of the story is good and convincing. Couple of obviously "crime fiction" parts but way less than the usual TV crime drama. Defence lawyer played by Dermot Mulroney returns to his hometown to defend his best friend on charges of murdering a student he was involved with. The story isn't obvious and kept me guessing.

There is a top notch cast. Dermot Mulroney is a convincing lawyer - can see him in more legal/crime roles like this. Anne Heche is a good actress as always - wish she acted more. Liked the way the younger versions of the characters looked like them. So even though there are 2 time frames it isn't confusing.

Overall worth a watch for sure.