The Pitch: Who doesn't like a good courtroom drama, with Paul
Newman, no less.
It would suck to
be a lawyer trying to watch a legal drama. Trials just plain aren't as
interesting as movies and TV make them seem. They are long and tedious. There
isn't room for the jazz-like improv that audiences are used to seeing. 99% of
movies are written about >1% of the real cases that a lawyer is ever likely
to see. And even then, any movie is packed with inaccuracies and moments that literally
couldn't happen. It would be like if a French movie had a character drive
overnight from New York to Los Angeles. Maybe those not familiar with the
geography wouldn't think anything of it, but as an American, that would
distract me to the point of derailing the story.
The Verdict is a movie that
can only be enjoyed as theater. As theater, it's really damn compelling. Paul
Newman is one of Hollywood's great leading men, and he gets to really sink his
teeth into this role. Even if he wasn't an alcoholic, there's plenty to chew
on. This story is filled with all sorts of twists and turns. There are moles,
disappearing witnesses, and coverups. The fact that no one says the line
"it goes all the way to the top" is shocking. If you are ready or able
to ignore what you know about how a trial works (the same way that we all know
that computer hacking really isn't typing quickly for a few seconds to get into
the CIA mainframe), then this is an enjoyable movie with a zippy script, strong
lead performance, and good direction.
But, if you have
even basic knowledge of how a trial works, this movie can be a rough watch. I
don't want to pick at every detail, so I won't. That said, I didn't believe
much about this trial. Especially the way he wins it. That was...flimsy. And
maybe audiences just weren't as savvy to the details back then. If this movie
was remade today, I guarantee there would be a lot of changes. So many changes.
Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend
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