THIS MAN NEEDS THE BEST LAWYER IN TOWN. BUT THE PROBLEM IS… HE IS THE BEST LAWYER IN TOWN.
Baltimore attorney Arthur Kirkland (Al Pacino) is offered to represent a judge (John Forsythe) who stands accused of rape; the problem is that Arthur has a personal grudge against the judge. After portraying the unions’ scene in F.I.S.T. (1978), director Norman Jewison approached the legal system in a movie that was praised for Pacino’s performance. He’s feisty as the idealistic attorney who’s pushed to the brink, nicely supported by Jack Warden as a suicidal judge. The final courtroom showdown is a minor classic (“No, you’re out of order!”), but the movie veers too wildly between different cases and sentiments.
1979-U.S. 117 min. Color. Directed by Norman Jewison. Screenplay: Valerie Curtin, Barry Levinson. Cast: Al Pacino (Arthur Kirkland), Jack Warden (Francis Rayford), John Forsythe (Henry Fleming), Lee Strasberg, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Lahti… Craig T. Nelson.