The Verdict (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Paul Newman stars in Sidney Lumet's polished & intelligent 1982 courtroom drama, 'The Verdict'. Newman gives one of his very best performances as Frank Galvin, a once-successful & idealistic Boston lawyer who is now mightily struggling with his career in his 50s and, decides to take one last chance for redemption & glory in a complex case of hospital malpractice. The burned-out, divorced, down-on-his-luck Galvin is now reduced to just being an ambulance chaser, & drinking alcohol as if it were water to numb himself. He is even reduced to scanning the obituary columns for new clients.
Then his old professor friend/mentor, Mickey Morrissey (Jack Warden), gives him a leg up in prompting him take-on a lucrative & 'easy' case that would almost certainly be an out-of-court settlement. A woman wants to be his client after her sister lost her baby & suffered grievous brain damage due to malpractice by the anesthetist (Wesley Addy), in the Catholic church-run hospital. But Galvin - who realizes the enormity of the crime committed against the woman sitting comatose - comes up with a plan of his own to force the case onto trial instead of the out-of-court settle, as all parties are set to do. Galvan thinks that this will rescue his floundering career by showing his utter brilliance inside the courtroom & also to see full justice given to the family.
He has also entered a relationship with one, Laura Fischer (Charlotte Rampling), which boosts his confidence further. Then, unexpectedly, the bishop (Edward Binns) offers an enormous endowment to drop the case -- but Galvin won’t have any of that. Defense lawyer Ed "the prince of darkness" Concannon (James Mason) resorts to dirty behind-the-scenes actions {paying-off a doctor who had priorly agreed to give expert testimony}. Drama continues to ensue as a nurse, Kaitlin Costello Price (Lindsay Crouse), refuses to testify for either side. Another doctor is brought-in, but his credibility is questioned. The defense even plants a newspaper article singing the praises of the hospital. And as a topper, they hire someone to spy on Galvin's research. Time will tell if Galvin can win this case despite all the odds.
Director Lumet successfully strings together all of the various complicated threads of the brooding, twisty-turny plot to make a fairly engaging, intelligent & distinguished courtroom drama; helps that it's all expertly written by David Mamet, who adapts it from a novel by Barry Reed. This film takes a long, hard look at the havoc worked over by institutional corruption & incompetence {extending from hospitals to courts, & beyond}. It also explores the ways in which professionals in industry abuse those whom they actually serve. Galvin's drunk loser-to-resurgent lawyer redemption arc is strong. The courtroom scenes are riveting. And Andrzej Bartkowiak's artful, tactile, darkly atmospheric cinematography lends itself to the chiaroscuro storyline.
Paul Newman would have won his 1st Academy Award had he not come up against Ben Kingsley & the Oscar juggernaut that was Gandhi. Newman is completely convincing as Frank Galvin, a man at the end of his rope, but encouraged by this case, then finds himself in dire, desperate emotional straits with high consequences for all. His ethically articulate & quietly powerful closing speech to the jury is just scintillating. James Mason is great as Ed Concannon, the egregiously unethical courtroom adversary. I dug Jack Warden as Galvin's buddy, Mickey. Milo O'Shea is effective as the prejudiced judge. Lindsay Crouse is effective as the mystery nurse. And Charlotte Rampling impresses with her femme fatale persona. Excellent film all-around.
Then his old professor friend/mentor, Mickey Morrissey (Jack Warden), gives him a leg up in prompting him take-on a lucrative & 'easy' case that would almost certainly be an out-of-court settlement. A woman wants to be his client after her sister lost her baby & suffered grievous brain damage due to malpractice by the anesthetist (Wesley Addy), in the Catholic church-run hospital. But Galvin - who realizes the enormity of the crime committed against the woman sitting comatose - comes up with a plan of his own to force the case onto trial instead of the out-of-court settle, as all parties are set to do. Galvan thinks that this will rescue his floundering career by showing his utter brilliance inside the courtroom & also to see full justice given to the family.
He has also entered a relationship with one, Laura Fischer (Charlotte Rampling), which boosts his confidence further. Then, unexpectedly, the bishop (Edward Binns) offers an enormous endowment to drop the case -- but Galvin won’t have any of that. Defense lawyer Ed "the prince of darkness" Concannon (James Mason) resorts to dirty behind-the-scenes actions {paying-off a doctor who had priorly agreed to give expert testimony}. Drama continues to ensue as a nurse, Kaitlin Costello Price (Lindsay Crouse), refuses to testify for either side. Another doctor is brought-in, but his credibility is questioned. The defense even plants a newspaper article singing the praises of the hospital. And as a topper, they hire someone to spy on Galvin's research. Time will tell if Galvin can win this case despite all the odds.
Director Lumet successfully strings together all of the various complicated threads of the brooding, twisty-turny plot to make a fairly engaging, intelligent & distinguished courtroom drama; helps that it's all expertly written by David Mamet, who adapts it from a novel by Barry Reed. This film takes a long, hard look at the havoc worked over by institutional corruption & incompetence {extending from hospitals to courts, & beyond}. It also explores the ways in which professionals in industry abuse those whom they actually serve. Galvin's drunk loser-to-resurgent lawyer redemption arc is strong. The courtroom scenes are riveting. And Andrzej Bartkowiak's artful, tactile, darkly atmospheric cinematography lends itself to the chiaroscuro storyline.
Paul Newman would have won his 1st Academy Award had he not come up against Ben Kingsley & the Oscar juggernaut that was Gandhi. Newman is completely convincing as Frank Galvin, a man at the end of his rope, but encouraged by this case, then finds himself in dire, desperate emotional straits with high consequences for all. His ethically articulate & quietly powerful closing speech to the jury is just scintillating. James Mason is great as Ed Concannon, the egregiously unethical courtroom adversary. I dug Jack Warden as Galvin's buddy, Mickey. Milo O'Shea is effective as the prejudiced judge. Lindsay Crouse is effective as the mystery nurse. And Charlotte Rampling impresses with her femme fatale persona. Excellent film all-around.