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The
Verdict (1982)
Reviewed
by Nikarius |
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Rating:
Top
drama!
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| Director |
Sidney
Lumet |
| Stars |
Paul
Newman
James Mason
Charlotte Rampling
Jack Warden |
| Length |
132
minutes |
| Country |
USA |
| Genres |
Drama |
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Paul
Newman is one of those great actors who has screen presence.
In movies like The Hustler or Road to Perdition, his immense
character fills the screen and demands attention from the
viewer. This very presence elevates the mediocre into quality,
and that’s the case here.
In The Verdict, Newman plays a sleazy alcoholic lawyer who
will stoop to any level. He’s a kind of disillusioned, lost
soul who stakes out the obituaries for possible work.
After visiting a victim of a hospital’s anaesthetic error,
he suddenly develops a conscience and takes on a near-impossible
to win malpractice case. The odds are against him from the
start but his newly developed conscience pushes him forward.
He is inspired by the realisation that his current way of
life is meaningless, and decides to fight on – in order to
achieve some sort of personal redemption.
Paul Newman is, as always, a powerful screen presence and
his performance as the jaded lawyer underpins the entire movie.
His personal quest for redemption is gripping. If you like
courtroom dramas, then this will be for you.
The Verdict is a solid tale of morality and redemption. In
fact, it would have had the same ignominy that Harrison Ford’s
Presumed Innocent suffered. Paul Newman is the only thing
that transforms The Verdict from potentially another mediocre,
tedious courtroom drama. It was released in the 1980s but
don’t let that fool you – it hasn’t aged at all. The Verdict
starring Paul Newman is well worth a watch…
DVD Extras
Great audio commentary by Paul Newman and other members of
the cast & crew. A featurette. Theatrical Trailer. Behind
the scenes gallery - a pretty good insight into the film.
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