Review of Anatomy of a Murder (1959) by Cory B — 08 Dec 2008
'Anatomy' is brilliant, based solely on the fact that I was shocked by the 160 minute running time AFTER I was finished. For a film to breeze by that quickly and efficiently, it takes serious skill, and director Otto Perminger has a lot of it, as does centerpiece Jimmy Stewart, in, yes, my favorite of his roles.
He's good at playing a loner with no ambition or no significant other who's luched into a serious situation. Within a few weeks, I've watched a cavalcade of courtroom shit, between this, 12 Angry Men, The Verdict, and Pretty Persuasion.
Even though The Verdict taks the cake as a whole, the courtroom parts in this where the best of any courtroom drama I've ever seen. The ways in which the law can be bent are just exructiating. It doesn't raise questions, it doesn't provide dramatic twists, and it doesn't leave you wanting more; it presents a case, and you, the viewer, decide if he was innocent or not.
In the end, jeez, I don't even know.
This review of Anatomy of a Murder (1959) was written by Cory B on 08 Dec 2008.
Anatomy of a Murder has generally received very positive reviews.
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