A First Amendment scholar is recruited by an attorney to sue a publishing company after a hit man commits a triple murder by allegedly following a how-to manual the book company published. ...
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Title: Deliberate Intent (TV Movie 2000)
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1 nomination.
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Cast
| Credited cast: | |||
| Timothy Hutton | ... | Rod Smolla | |
| Ron Rifkin | ... | Howard Siegel | |
| Clark Johnson | ... | James Perry | |
| Penny Johnson Jerald | ... | Laura Harmon (as Penny Johnson) | |
| Cliff De Young | ... | Tom Kelley (as Clifford DeYoung) | |
| Kenneth Welsh | ... | Peder Lund | |
| James McDaniel | ... | Lawrence Horn | |
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Bill McDonald | ... | Peder Lund |
| Dean McDermott | ... | Leasure | |
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Yanna McIntosh | ... | Elaine |
| David Hemblen | ... | Judge Luttig | |
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
|
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Karen Andren | ... | Tiffani |
| Yank Azman | ... | Trial Judge | |
|
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Christopher Barry | ... | Butler |
| Oliver Becker | ... | Agent Casey | |
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Storyline
A First Amendment scholar is recruited by an attorney to sue a publishing company after a hit man commits a triple murder by allegedly following a how-to manual the book company published. They set out to put the company on trial for providing blueprints for would-be murderers. Arguing that the publisher is not protected by the First Amendment, the crusading lawyers seek monetary damages for the victims' families. Written by Anonymous
Taglines:
Can words kill? See more »Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving violence, and a sexual reference | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
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Did You Know?
Trivia
This movie is based on a true case, whereby a father (Lawrence Horn, a former Motion executive) hired a hitman (James Perry) to murder his disabled son (Trevor) and ex-wife (Mildred) for $1.5 million in settlement money (son's disability). The child's nurse (Janice Saunders) was also murdered. She wasn't scheduled to work that day but she'd come in when the child's grandmother (maternal) couldn't make it. The grandmother sued the publisher of "Hitman", which was used as the blueprint for murder. Sentence to life, he died in prison of cancer 2017. See more »Goofs
Detective looks through a phone record, points to a record which contains the state abbreviation MA and declares a payphone call was from Maryland. MA is the abbreviation for Massachusetts; MD is for Maryland. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
6 August 2000 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Bérgyilkosok kézikönyve See more »Filming Locations:
Toronto, Ontario, CanadaCompany Credits
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I in no way mean to suggest that 3 people being murdered for money is hilarious, but for anyone who knows a bit about the appellate process, the "dramatic" scene in the US Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit -- with the gallery shouting out and the two lawyers sparing on rebuttal -- was laughable. I know it made for a better scene -- in reality, attorneys are given a certain time period to speak and answer questions, and there is no confrontation between parties -- but a little authenticity would have been nice. For a "real" film appellate argument, I suggest watching the Supreme Court scene in "The People Versus Larry Flint" (plus the guy who play Scalia is a dead ringer!).
It was interesting, however, to see a case I read about in law school brought to life. The case actually has some pretty strong First Amendment ramifications, which I am delighted to see people on this site have discussed. So it was not all in vain!