It's time for the trial in the Wayne Williams case, and that brings in Jason Robards as his defense attorney, a fabulous performance that joins those already seen. You don't get much of James Earl Jones here, and there's less of Morgan Freeman here too. One scene show him being confronted by the mothers of the victims, and he contemplates the impact of what one of them tells him about his badge being more important to him than resolving the case and getting justice.
There are many interesting elements of this part within the trial, especially the suspicion that Williams (Calvin Levels) is gay even though there are witnesses who give evidence against that. The fabulous Ruby Dee is very profound as his mother, her gentle voice rising in anger when the emotional impact of her son's case gets to her. Martin Sheen also gets an eruption as the trial prepares to come to a close, telling everybody in his office off for the various conspiracy theories that they come up with, some of which indeed sound absurd in words but are plausible when thinking about it.
Another great performance comes from Rip Torn as one of the prosecutors, and his final plea to the jury got him an Emmy nomination. This is a tough film to watch but a necessary one, and for those who watched this tragic series of events unfold in the news over a two-year period between 1979 and 1981 will be riveted. Even as the film ends, there are still a lot of questions unanswered, and after the verdict is read, it's difficult to say sincerely that the jury came up with the right verdict. A scene between Rip Torn and Jason Robards after that indicates that prosecution even had its doubts and powerful statements to the ruthless press adds to that feeling.
There are many interesting elements of this part within the trial, especially the suspicion that Williams (Calvin Levels) is gay even though there are witnesses who give evidence against that. The fabulous Ruby Dee is very profound as his mother, her gentle voice rising in anger when the emotional impact of her son's case gets to her. Martin Sheen also gets an eruption as the trial prepares to come to a close, telling everybody in his office off for the various conspiracy theories that they come up with, some of which indeed sound absurd in words but are plausible when thinking about it.
Another great performance comes from Rip Torn as one of the prosecutors, and his final plea to the jury got him an Emmy nomination. This is a tough film to watch but a necessary one, and for those who watched this tragic series of events unfold in the news over a two-year period between 1979 and 1981 will be riveted. Even as the film ends, there are still a lot of questions unanswered, and after the verdict is read, it's difficult to say sincerely that the jury came up with the right verdict. A scene between Rip Torn and Jason Robards after that indicates that prosecution even had its doubts and powerful statements to the ruthless press adds to that feeling.
