A boozing lawyer (Paul Newman) takes on a law-firm dean (James Mason), the Archdiocese of Boston and the system in general.
Release Date: 1982
DVD Release Date: June 4th, 2002
R |2 hr 2 min
Plot SummaryA boozing lawyer (Paul Newman) takes on a law-firm dean (James Mason), the Archdiocese of Boston and the system in general.
Cast: Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, James Mason, Jack Warden, Milo O'Shea, Edward Binns, Julie Bovasso, Lindsay Crouse
Director: Sidney Lumet
Genres: Drama
Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox
Keywords: 1980s, Passionate, Underdog, Judge
There are times when a B-movie is made so carefully and performed so robustly that the audience wants it to work and goes with it, roots for it; those are the times that directors grope for, even with A-material. The Verdict may be only a B-movie in a three-piece suit, but this is one of those times, and everybody's going to like it. [21 Dec 1982, p.C7]
The screenplay by David Mamet is a wonder of good dialogue, strongly seen characters and a structure that pays off in the big courtroom scene - as the genre requires. show more
What was boring and dull to our 12-year-old selves back when Dad was watching this film 25 years ago is now a thoroughly engrossing and satisfying film experience, and a reminder that what is old can be new again -- whether it's Newman's Galvin's outlook on life, an old courtroom drama premise, or a movie revisited after a quarter century lapse. show more
