Review of Anatomy of a Murder (1959) by Matt S — 26 Aug 2010

When Laura Manion (Lee Remick) comes home and tells her husband that she has been raped, he instantly goes and kills the man who raped his wife. Paul Biegler (James Stewart) a humble small-town lawyer, is asked to defend him. Biegler originally wants to plead guilty, but soon discovers the idea that they might have a shot for insanity. But this case will not be an easy one. Biegler finds himself up against the State's Deputy Attorney General (George C. Scott), and Biegler must search everywhere for evidence to prove that Laura was raped, and possibly win the case.

Anatomy of a Murder was one of the most brilliant courtroom dramas I have ever seen. The story was pretty similar to a lot of movies such as these, but the direction by Otto Preminger was fantastic. Despite the long length of this film, unlike many courtroom dramas Anatomy of a Murder really keeps you interested throughout the entire film. The screenplay was also very good. I laughed out loud several times in the film, and I can tell you there is no better battle then James Stewart and George C. Scott for a courtroom drama.

The acting was superb by everyone. I found no one in the film to be a bad actor, and I really loved some of the performances. James Stewart delivered one of the best I have ever seen him. I still believe that It's a Wonderful Life was his career performance, but this was definitely up there in his best. This is one of the only films I have seen with George C. Scott, but he was amazing in this film. The most interesting parts of the film was hearing James Stewart and George C. Scott yell "objection!" every single time one of them would say something.

Overall, Anatomy of a Murder is probably the greatest, or at least one of the greatest, courtroom dramas I have ever seen. With perfect direction, and great acting by some of the greatest actors ever, this movie quickly became one of my favorites in film history.

Final rating: Fresh-100%.