When Richard Rushman, the Archbishop of Chicago, is brutally murdered, Martin Vail, one of the city's leading criminal lawyers takes on the task of defending the only suspect, an altar boy named Aaron Stampler. There are, however, some strange features about the case. Rushman was a highly popular individual, and Stampler appears to have had no motive for the crime. Indeed, Rushman showed the young man great kindness, saving him from a life of destitution on the streets. Stampler is put on trial, but as the case progresses disturbing facts start to come to light. There are hints that the late Archbishop may have been involved in sexual, financial and political corruption, and Vail starts to doubt both his client's sanity and his innocence. (The film has gained in topicality since 1996 as more scandals involving paedophile priests have come to light).
Recent years have seen a large number of courtroom thrillers, but this is one of the better ones. Richard Gere gives a good performance as Vail. His voice is sometimes too soft, making his words indistinct (a common failing with this particular actor), but he is well able to convey the two sides of Vail's character's, his smooth plausibility and his arrogance. Vail is a brilliant but conceited lawyer, convinced that he is the only man who can save Stampler from the death penalty. (The film was made before Illinois introduced a moratorium on the use of capital punishment). There is another good contribution from Laura Linney (an excellent but often underrated actress) who plays Janet Venable, Counsel for the prosecution. In a plot development typical of this sort of thriller, she turns out to be Vail's ex-girlfriend, now determined to prove herself a better lawyer than her former lover. (Don't the American Bar Association have rules to prevent this sort of conflict of interests from arising?)
I was already familiar with, and admired, Edward Norton's work in films such as "Fight Club" and "Kingdom of Heaven". Here he plays the part of Stampler (his first movie role) and gives what is probably the best acting performance in the film. Stampler has two distinct sides to his personality. On the one hand he is normally a quiet, inoffensive young man, shy, stammering and inarticulate. On the other, when under stress he can be assertive to the point of aggressiveness and rudeness, speaking loudly without any hint of a stammer. It is never clear which of these personalities is his "real" one, and the possibility is raised that he might be suffering from multiple personality disorder, which in turn raises questions about his accountability for his actions. The scenes in which Stampler suddenly switches between one personality and another are brilliantly executed; Norton brings out the contrasts between the mild "Aaron" and the aggressive "Roy" so starkly that one might think that two different actors were playing the two different personalities.
Some of the plot developments seem rather implausible; in Britain it would be perfectly possible for a defendant to change his plea from a simple "not guilty" to "not guilty by reason of insanity" if new evidence about his mental state came to light after the trial had begun, and I can see no reason why things should be any different in another common-law jurisdiction such as the United States. On the whole, however, this is a very watchable and exciting thriller. Even the sudden twist at the end (I won't say what that is) does not spoil the film, as such twists sometimes do. 7/10
Recent years have seen a large number of courtroom thrillers, but this is one of the better ones. Richard Gere gives a good performance as Vail. His voice is sometimes too soft, making his words indistinct (a common failing with this particular actor), but he is well able to convey the two sides of Vail's character's, his smooth plausibility and his arrogance. Vail is a brilliant but conceited lawyer, convinced that he is the only man who can save Stampler from the death penalty. (The film was made before Illinois introduced a moratorium on the use of capital punishment). There is another good contribution from Laura Linney (an excellent but often underrated actress) who plays Janet Venable, Counsel for the prosecution. In a plot development typical of this sort of thriller, she turns out to be Vail's ex-girlfriend, now determined to prove herself a better lawyer than her former lover. (Don't the American Bar Association have rules to prevent this sort of conflict of interests from arising?)
I was already familiar with, and admired, Edward Norton's work in films such as "Fight Club" and "Kingdom of Heaven". Here he plays the part of Stampler (his first movie role) and gives what is probably the best acting performance in the film. Stampler has two distinct sides to his personality. On the one hand he is normally a quiet, inoffensive young man, shy, stammering and inarticulate. On the other, when under stress he can be assertive to the point of aggressiveness and rudeness, speaking loudly without any hint of a stammer. It is never clear which of these personalities is his "real" one, and the possibility is raised that he might be suffering from multiple personality disorder, which in turn raises questions about his accountability for his actions. The scenes in which Stampler suddenly switches between one personality and another are brilliantly executed; Norton brings out the contrasts between the mild "Aaron" and the aggressive "Roy" so starkly that one might think that two different actors were playing the two different personalities.
Some of the plot developments seem rather implausible; in Britain it would be perfectly possible for a defendant to change his plea from a simple "not guilty" to "not guilty by reason of insanity" if new evidence about his mental state came to light after the trial had begun, and I can see no reason why things should be any different in another common-law jurisdiction such as the United States. On the whole, however, this is a very watchable and exciting thriller. Even the sudden twist at the end (I won't say what that is) does not spoil the film, as such twists sometimes do. 7/10