...And Justice for All dvd movie.|
...And Justice for All cheap dvd videos, dvd movies for sale |
 |
Features • Anamorphic • Full Screen • NTSC |
| [ + Zoom ] [ Buy Now ] | DVD : This item is currently not available. |
|
...And Justice for All description Al Pacino plays a Maryland lawyer who takes on a judicial system rife with dealmaking in this awkward blend of satire and sentimentality. Topical director Norman Jewison can't seem to help Pacino get comfortable with the mismatched material, which pushes the film into outrageousness at some turns and mawkishness at others. The script by Barry Levinson ... review details |
|
|
| ♥♥♥♥♥ | ...And Justice For All (1979) |
| Director: Norman Jewison
Cast: Al Pacino, Jack Warden, John Forsythe, Lee Strasberg, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Lahti, Sam Levene, Robert Christian, Craig T. Nelson, Terri Wooten. Running Time: 119 minutes Rated R for language and some violence. There were quite a few of these types of films in the seventies, not really comedies or dramas per se, but a clever mixture of both, and part of the reason that the '70s are regarded by many as the richest era for films & film-making. Another sample which comes to mind is "Mother, Jugs, and Speed" - not as good, but comparable. These films point to a darkly humorous take on our existence, usually taking place in modern, contemporary times, and in an urban setting. In this one, the legal - justice system is targeted; it's the system we supposedly depend on and which elevates our nation (the U.S.) above the rabble of the world. But the way it's examined here, the system doesn't really work. It's geared towards those with the power (read: money) and most of those incarcerated, it seems to say, are there by an awful whim of fate. Most lawyers (Pacino plays a particularly compassionate one) function merely to make the suffering of these innocents a bit less grueling, through kissing the butts of hard-line judges (Forsythe is a particularly mean one). The film opens with Arthur Kirkland (Al Pacino) spending the night in "the can" for contempt of court for taking a swing at Judge Flemings (John Forsythe) who was presiding on a case that Arthur had before his bench. Having to face a review board to see if he's fit to be a lawyer and facing possible disbarment, Arthur starts to wonder if all the work that he put into going through law school and in passing the Maryland State Bar to become a member of the law profession was really worth it. With his career on the line Arthur is suddenly given the job to defend the very Judge who would want nothing better then to have him disbarred Judge Henry T. Fleming. Accused of assault battery and rape of a local call girl Leah Shepard (Terri Wooten), it turns out that Arthur is the best person to defend the judge since it would prove that even he, who hates Flaming with a vengeance, has to defend his client to the best of his ability. It's a one-sided view, to be sure, that we have here: those who are truly guilty, such as child-killers, get released on technicalities and proceed to murder the next day, causing at least for one lawyer (Tambor) a spin down to a nervous breakdown. Do such things really happen in real life? Surely. But, here it's de rigueur, as if looking at the world through a funhouse mirror, a sly distortion. It's amusing to view this satire on our society's ills and we can laugh, with a bit of discomfort, at a picture of what passes for rule of law or justice. But it's probably more gratifying to see Pacino, Warden and the rest acting their best, mostly 'New York-style' (though this takes place in Baltimore). Pacino's character really shouldn't be a lawyer; he feels too much and is a genuine human being, where as everyone else is caught up in the abstracts of winning in the system. Even Pacino's new girlfriend (Lahti in her first movie role), though appearing sympathetic to his dilemmas, is just another cog in the system. When he explains his biggest problem to her in the last act, instead of heartfelt advice, she gives him a list of options, as if she was his, well, lawyer. Pacino's all alone in this picture. All his peers have enclosed themselves in callous shells. His only outlet, a grandpa (acting teacher Strasberg) is moving steadily into senility. His stand-in father-judge (Warden) is literally giving in to the craziness. It all points to the thrilling finale of Pacino's opening statement during the climactic trial. Where in action pictures it usually points to a thrilling final battle, in this type of picture it's a thrilling monologue by the main actor. Pacino's all alone up there and his rendition is worth the price of admission by itself. Oftentimes hilarious and full of sadness the next, a superb satire with mesmerizing performances and a smart script. |
|
|