Review of The Verdict (1982) by Mike C — 20 Aug 2011

A nice, slow-rolling drama about medical injustice and an ensuing legal case. Other than a few big scenes from the always great Newman, it pretty much falls flat. That said, had I watched the movie in 1982, I suspect it would have been far greater. In 2011, we all know how the system is broken, and there have been countless movies putting their spin on that.

It's pretty gimmicky. A judge that stands up and confronts a witness? Dramatic but highly unlikely. Two great attorneys who move to and fro around the courtroom (which is full by the way for some inexlicable reason), and get in the face of witnesses. Again, very dramatic, but as far as I can tell, not allowed. At least the final witness is disallowed as I fully expected, but how does an attorney like Newman even think it will fly?

Not knowing all of these movies, maybe this was groundbreaking. Maybe it was the first of its kind. Especially with Grisham churning out several of these, these stories have become mainstream. In that context, The Verdict is pretty ordinary.