The Verdict (1982).....once again deprived Paul Newman of the Best Actor Oscar he'd been deservin throughout his career. And anyone who's seen this film knows he was robbed again.....
We can't explain why this Sidney Lumet film is among the ones we come back to re-watch year after year. Usually, after we've seen a slowly paced, quietly effective drama, we consider that once was enough, even if we thought it was good.
Not "The Verdict" though. As slow as it is, as moody and meditative as it is, the film's story, characters and various courtroom theatrics won't let our memory go. Maybe it's the powerful redemptive climax and top-of-the-line performances that continue to grip our imagination.
Newman plays Frank Galvin, a down-and-out Boston lawyer reduced to scrounging for clients among grieving mourners at funeral homes. His reputation and career remain in shreds after the head of his previous law firm (and father-in-law) betrayed him, leaving him falsely accused of jury tempering.
Barely escaping the charge, he's now divorced, an alcoholic and close to destitute, a burned out shell of a man. Through his mentor and friend MIckey Morrisey (Jack Warden) he's taken on a case as his last and only hope.
A young couple has brought a lawsuit against one of the Boston Archdiocese's hospitals. The woman's sister, mistakenly put under anaesthesia after a full meal, choked on her vomit, now rendering her a permanent brain dead vegetable.
While his clients only want a quick cash settlement, Galvin, seeking a change to right a wrong and redeem himself, lobbies for a jury trial, ignoring all advice to the contrary.
He faces an uphill battle against formidable enemies.....the powerful Church and all its political influence, a judge (Milo O'Shea) who's obviously on their payroll and the craftiest most legendary defense lawyer in town (James Mason)
No end of obstacles, illegal obstructions and other reversals of fortune are thrown in Galvin's path, including yet another hurtful betrayal of his trust.
We'll say not one word more of that happens, other than that the film's gut-punching, satisfying and yet bittersweet ending is a knockout. And what keeps us coming back the film over and over again.
For one and all who cherish and honor high excellence in cinema. 5 stars (*****), a true FIND OF FIND. See it. That's all.....just see it.
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