Josh Gillam’s review published on Letterboxd:
Investigating the murder of a fellow lawyer, prosecutor Rusty Sabich (Harrison Ford) finds himself implicated and put on trial after their secret affair is uncovered, in Alan Pakula’s legal thriller co-starring Brian Dennehy, Raul Julia and Greta Scaachi.
Pakula reunited with cinematographer Gordon Willis from his earlier Paranoia Trilogy: while a lot more low-key than those movies, there’s a sense of never quite knowing what (or who) to trust that still shines through here. It’s all set up as a compelling cat and mouse game, and the film constantly test your relationship with these characters, a moral ambiguity running through that makes sure you never quite know what’s going to happen next.
Coming from source material written by an actual lawyer give this twisting intricate plot a degree of authenticity, so this story thrives in showing the grey areas of the law, little rules bent by both prosecution and defence to get their side over (through fair or foul means), all adding to the ambiguity in a really effective way. This intricate legal thriller doubles as a psychological snapshot too, one that could have gone even further, but works as a great little look inside.
Ford’s understated lead performance does a great job of keeping you in the dark over the course of Rusty’s ordeal, a veteran prosecutor suddenly in the position where the tables are turned. It’s a different, more reactive part than than usual, but while that can sideline him a little at times the star’s distinctive presence is complimented by a range of great character actor turns alongside (including a typically charismatic turn from Julia), all working in the really keyed in, focused little world Pakula conjures up here.
It’s really well done, though I guess ultimately this feels sort of like a classier version one of those airport thrillers you might pick up (like a more internal predecessor to those 90s John Grisham movies), with an ending that’s maybe all a just little too spelt out compared to what’s gone on before. It doesn’t quite hit the heights of Pakula’s earlier outings, but the mix of his steady, careful hand and some strong material really helps the mystery pop. A rare thing now, the film is an intelligent, adult mid-budget thriller, one still very entertaining to watch unfold today.
Josh liked these reviews
All
' ].join(''); if ( adsScript && adsScript === 'bandsintown' && adsPlatforms && ((window.isIOS && adsPlatforms.indexOf("iOS") >= 0) || (window.isAndroid && adsPlatforms.indexOf("Android") >= 0)) && adsLocations && adsMode && ( (adsMode === 'include' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) >= 0) || (adsMode === 'exclude' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) == -1) ) ) { var opts = { artist: "", song: "", adunit_id: 100005950, div_id: "cf_async_77ce4315-8ae3-4538-9796-01de4b8aca0c" }; adUnit.id = opts.div_id; if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//srv.tunefindforfans.com/fruits/apricots.js";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; } else { adUnit.id = 'pw-77ce4315-8ae3-4538-9796-01de4b8aca0c'; adUnit.className = 'pw-div -tile300x250 -alignleft -bottommargin'; adUnit.setAttribute('data-pw-' + (renderMobile ? 'mobi' : 'desk'), 'med_rect_btf'); if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', (event) => { adUnit.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', kicker); window.ramp.que.push(function () { window.ramp.addTag('pw-77ce4315-8ae3-4538-9796-01de4b8aca0c'); }); }, { once: true }); } } tag.remove(); })(document.getElementById('script-77ce4315-8ae3-4538-9796-01de4b8aca0c'));
' ].join(''); if ( adsScript && adsScript === 'bandsintown' && adsPlatforms && ((window.isIOS && adsPlatforms.indexOf("iOS") >= 0) || (window.isAndroid && adsPlatforms.indexOf("Android") >= 0)) && adsLocations && adsMode && ( (adsMode === 'include' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) >= 0) || (adsMode === 'exclude' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) == -1) ) ) { var opts = { artist: "", song: "", adunit_id: 100005950, div_id: "cf_async_f218e2b6-a5cf-4d68-aa6c-9646bf95ab67" }; adUnit.id = opts.div_id; if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//srv.tunefindforfans.com/fruits/apricots.js";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; } else { adUnit.id = 'pw-f218e2b6-a5cf-4d68-aa6c-9646bf95ab67'; adUnit.className = 'pw-div'; adUnit.setAttribute('data-pw-' + (renderMobile ? 'mobi' : 'desk'), 'sky_btf'); if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', (event) => { adUnit.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', kicker); window.ramp.que.push(function () { window.ramp.addTag('pw-f218e2b6-a5cf-4d68-aa6c-9646bf95ab67'); }); }, { once: true }); } } tag.remove(); })(document.getElementById('script-f218e2b6-a5cf-4d68-aa6c-9646bf95ab67'));
