The
Verdict (1982)
2oth
Century Fox
Cast:
Paul Newman, Charloette Rampling, Jack Warden, James Mason.
Rating:
R
Run
time: 129 mins.
Genre:
Drama
Verdict:
Bland
(see rating
system)
I
hadn’t seen this 1982 Paul Newman classic in quite a
while so it came as quite a shock to see how dull and plodding
it now seems.
While
there’s no doubting Newman’s powerful performance
as boozing Boston lawyer Frank Galvin - and a crafty, eloquent
turn by James Mason as Ed Concannon, his courtroom opponent
- the movie is simply too flabby at 129 minutes.
Galvin
is on a slide into oblivion years after a jury tampering charge
iced his career, leaving him trawling around funeral parlours
for families looking to sue. Lawyer friend Mickey Morrissey
(Jack Warden) offers him one last chance to get his life in
order: an easy case of negligence against a Catholic-run hospital
and two of its doctors after a young woman has been left in
a vegetative coma.
But
after seeing the woman in her hospital bed, Galvin shocks
Morrissey by turning down an out-of-court settlement offer,
choosing to fight instead.
Through
his alcoholic haze, Galvin is convinced he can win the case
and restore some of his own self-worth, but he’s up against
Concannon and his crack legal team, who are used to playing
dirty. While Morrissey reluctantly agrees to help Galvin fight
the case, the beautiful, but mysterious Laura Fischer (Charlotte
Rampling), helps fill some of his emotional emptiness, but
at what price?
Fans
of the movie will doubtless enjoy this two-disc edition, which
features all-new documentaries including Newman and director
Sidney Lumet talking about their work.
