The Verdict (1982)

To me, this movie is perfection.

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

I've loved this movie since I saw it when it came out, for all the reasons and more that people have written here. Newman at his best. James Mason even better. Great plot. Both the best law movie AND the best medicine movie.But I write here now because of a dinner conversation held earlier today in which I noted that every great movie has dozens of really negative reviews. So we went to GODFATHER, ET, GONE WITH THE WIND, SHAWSHANK, even SINGING IN THE RAIN, and sure enough there are dozens of negative reviews. Sometime later I remembered this movie and went to the reviews to see how it fared: only 2 negative reviews. Maybe the best reviewed movie on IMDb, and well deserved.

The Verdict is what The Color of Money should have been. In The Color of Money, Paul Newman plays an old hustler who used to be young and famous. He trains and teaches a young upstart, but it was hardly an interesting storyline. Wouldn't it have been a more captivating plot if he used to be young and famous, and now, he's washed up, playing the small time again and struggling with an alcohol problem? I think so.In The Verdict, Paul Newman plays a lawyer who once had a future in a prestigious law firm. Now, he's a washed up alcoholic, chasing ambulances for clients. He's given one last chance to bring a big case to court, but can he get and keep his act together and win? With a running time of over two hours, it feels a little slow. But courtroom dramas can be notoriously slow, especially in the 80s, so it's not the end of the world. It's also a little predictable, but if you like Paul Newman or stories about underdogs, definitely give it a chance.

Well, Paul Newman is good, but this film is not among his best. His character is annoying at best, for a variety of reasons, the least of which is he's a lawyer. That being said, let's get to the rest of the film. It is a strong-plotted film, with the time- earned theme of the wronged-little-guys against the big-money-big-guys in a courtroom. Who wins? Watch the movie. Medical malpractice always makes for engaging material. Not much else to say about this film. Newman is solid, but not great. Jack Warden is okay, because that's all he really can be. James Mason is good, and the court scenes are among the best in the film, especially when Mason cross- examines an Irish-accented former Boston nurse. There is a gratuitous love interest and an eventual plot twist that is totally predictable. Watch it, but if you want better Newman, watch Seinfeld or Absence of Malice.

The Verdict (1982) **** (out of 4) Disgraced, alcoholic lawyer Frank Galvin (Paul Newman) is handed his best case in years and in return all he has to do is collect the settlement. Instead of doing so Frank sees this case at a shot at redemption so he takes it to trial against one of the best defense lawyers (James Mason).THE VERDICT is without question one of the greatest courtroom dramas that you're ever going to see. I'd argue that it's also one of the greatest films of the decade. I'd even go a step further and say it's one of the greatest and most powerful films ever made. I will even add more praise in saying that it contains perhaps the greatest ensemble acting that you're ever going to witness. Is all of this too much praise to throw on a film? No when it's for a film like THE VERDICT.Obviously everything here begins and ends with Newman who gives one of the greatest performances that you're ever going to witness. I always said that Marlon Brando's performance in LAST TANGO IN Paris is the greatest performance i have ever seen but this one by Newman is close. Just take a look at the sequence before the trial where his character has a panic attack. Just see the fear in eyes, his movement and the fear in his voice. Watch his final speech to the jury. Check out a twist, which I won't ruin, but deals with him being betrayed. A lot of times a music score and editing help "make" a performance but in all of these scenes there are none of that. Instead it's just Newman delivering a performance and often it's shown in one take.Not only is the lead terrific but so are all the supporting players. Jack Warden is terrific in his role as the assistant. Charlotte Rampling is as calm and cold as you can get. As for Mason, did you ever doubt that you were watching a brilliant lawyer work his magic? Milo O'Shea will have your blood boiling in the role of the judge. All of the important characters are brought to life through terrific performances but even the small roles are flawlessly acted. Edward Binns as the Bishop. Lindsay Crouse as an important witness.James Handy and Roxanne Hart as the suffering family members.THE VERDICT is one of the most grim and dark movies that you're ever going to see. The character study of a drunk and a loser makes for some very dark moments and director Sidney Lumet perfectly sets everything up during the opening sequence where we learn everything we need to know. His direction throughout is flawless. The film is slow-paced but it's done for a reason and it's impact is certainly felt in the end. The story is a rather simple one about redemption but the movie offers up so much drama and suspense that it works just like a thriller.THE VERDICT is a film that deserves all the praise one can give it.