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THE VERDICT
Crisp, detailed direction, an intelligent if manipulative screenplay, and, for my money, the finest performance of Paul Newman that earned him a seventh Oscar nomination, combine to make 1982's The Verdict appointment viewing.
This is the story of an alcoholic Boston attorney named Frank Galvin who has a chance to redeem himself when a dream case falls in his lap: A pregnant woman fell into a coma after doctors gave her the wrong anesthesia and now her sister and brother-in-law are suing the doctors and the hospital for malpractice. What initially appears to be a slam dunk for Galvin begins to be anything as we watch his case quietly and precisely fall apart before our eyes.
Director Sidney Lumet and screenwriter David Mamet have mounted an effective blend of courtroom drama and character study that rivets the viewer from the opening shot of the central character that clearly establishes who Frank Galvin is before we've learned anything else. He is observed in a full suit and tie in a bar, at a pinball machine, with a shot glass sitting in the window...this shot tells volumes about the story we are about to witness as the opening credits roll...we already know that we are meeting a character who has seen better days and we want to know what happened.
The other thing I love about this story is the David and Goliath sensibility to the proceedings. The defendants, or in this case the villains, are being represented by a huge firm with all staff on deck, while Frank's only assistance is his former employer (Jack Warden). The Goliath law firm is also established as villains protecting the guilty through their complete and thorough homework regarding Frank and everyone else on his side of the courtroom in an attempt to distract the jury. Frank's job is also complicated by the Judge who resents Frank for not taking the settlement that he was initially offered. And despite all of this, Lumet and Mamet manage to provide a story that rivets throughout and forces the viewer to stay with the story which isn't as predictable as it initially seems, as red herrings and small plot holes abound.
Considering his long and distinguished career, it's kind of bold to call Frank Galvin his best performance and I haven't seen every movie he ever made, but I've seen most of them and I still don't think the late screen icon has ever been better and gets flawless support from Warden, Milo O'Shea as the slimy judge and an undeniably slick turn from James Mason as the opposing attorney that earned him an Oscar nomination as well. Mamet's screenplay is slightly manipulative and I'm not sure that the ending is completely realistic, but this is a sterling courtroom drama thanks to the polish in front of and behind the camera.
Crisp, detailed direction, an intelligent if manipulative screenplay, and, for my money, the finest performance of Paul Newman that earned him a seventh Oscar nomination, combine to make 1982's The Verdict appointment viewing.
This is the story of an alcoholic Boston attorney named Frank Galvin who has a chance to redeem himself when a dream case falls in his lap: A pregnant woman fell into a coma after doctors gave her the wrong anesthesia and now her sister and brother-in-law are suing the doctors and the hospital for malpractice. What initially appears to be a slam dunk for Galvin begins to be anything as we watch his case quietly and precisely fall apart before our eyes.
Director Sidney Lumet and screenwriter David Mamet have mounted an effective blend of courtroom drama and character study that rivets the viewer from the opening shot of the central character that clearly establishes who Frank Galvin is before we've learned anything else. He is observed in a full suit and tie in a bar, at a pinball machine, with a shot glass sitting in the window...this shot tells volumes about the story we are about to witness as the opening credits roll...we already know that we are meeting a character who has seen better days and we want to know what happened.
The other thing I love about this story is the David and Goliath sensibility to the proceedings. The defendants, or in this case the villains, are being represented by a huge firm with all staff on deck, while Frank's only assistance is his former employer (Jack Warden). The Goliath law firm is also established as villains protecting the guilty through their complete and thorough homework regarding Frank and everyone else on his side of the courtroom in an attempt to distract the jury. Frank's job is also complicated by the Judge who resents Frank for not taking the settlement that he was initially offered. And despite all of this, Lumet and Mamet manage to provide a story that rivets throughout and forces the viewer to stay with the story which isn't as predictable as it initially seems, as red herrings and small plot holes abound.
Considering his long and distinguished career, it's kind of bold to call Frank Galvin his best performance and I haven't seen every movie he ever made, but I've seen most of them and I still don't think the late screen icon has ever been better and gets flawless support from Warden, Milo O'Shea as the slimy judge and an undeniably slick turn from James Mason as the opposing attorney that earned him an Oscar nomination as well. Mamet's screenplay is slightly manipulative and I'm not sure that the ending is completely realistic, but this is a sterling courtroom drama thanks to the polish in front of and behind the camera.