Monday, June 12, 2006

The Verdict

Some talented people collaborate on a better-than-average courtroom drama: Paul Newman offers an un-showy performance as an alcoholic Irish ambulance chaser in Boston, who grabs his one last chance for redemption; David Mamet writes a snappy script and Sidney Lumet directs with assurance; James Mason and Jack Warden lead a solid supporting cast. They lend some credibility to what might have been a medical malpractice potboiler, but there is some final dimension of realism that this film lacks. My verdict -- not bad, but not special. (1982, dvd, r.) *6*

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