Judicial Indiscretion (2007)

That was an excellent one.

Don't listen to the negative reviews

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Circuit Court Judge Monica Barrett is told she may be on the short list for the next Supreme Court nomination. At the start of the movie, we see two different images of her: first, she has trouble deciding what to wear--but then why does it matter if she is wearing a robe, she finally realizes. However, when a CEO who has embezzled gets sentenced, she has no trouble being decisive and professional. Monica is a strong woman and not to be messed with.Monica lost her husband Paul three years ago, and she has a grown daughter Jenn, who is a workaholic like her mother. They visit before Monica takes a vacation in San Francisco. While there, Monica meets a charming Irish writer named Jack Sullivan. Well, that's what he says, anyway. Before returning home, Monica has an experience that may cause trouble for her Supreme Court nomination, if it does happen.After her return, Monica hears from someone who knows what happened, and this person won't go away. And he seems capable of anything.Sen. Garland Wolf strongly supports Monica, despite some differences they may have had in the past, and the news is good. Monica is the nominee. All of the others have something in their pasts, though so does Monica, if anyone finds out.Anne Archer does a fantastic job. She's quite attractive for a woman her age, and though conservative in her dress, Monica always looks stylish yet professional. Monica is quite a strong character and she smiles a lot, and yet we often see a vulnerable side too. But regardless of what she goes through, she won't back down from what she believes.The writing is quite intelligent, and I can believe this is how life for a Supreme Court nominee might be, with the advice and various meetings and appearances. Naturally, this movie provides a little something extra in the process; most nominees wouldn't go through this much. William B. Davis as the senator and Anna Hagan as another judge both give impressive performances. Michael Shanks also did well as Jack. I think Angelique Naude deserves mention too, even with only a few lines. She made me like her right away, and I hoped to see more of her, though it was clear she was never going to have a big role. Unless they made her a wardrobe consultant or something.We get to see a lot of fine architecture. In addition to the Washington landmarks, there is Monica's courthouse, and the fabulous San Francisco hotel. Even on the inside it's fabulous, though I imagine if the credits say the movie was filmed in Canada, the interior was a different place or places.Certainly a worthy effort, and not your usual Lifetime film.

Anne Archer's weaknesses as as actress are revealed in this mind-numbing bit of hokum. This movie was bad even if compared to other low-budget sudsers that are Lifetime's usual staple. Worst was the blatant homophobia of the film. San Francisco residents are referred to as "fruit loops that all moved to a place where they can feel normal." Archer's character, an Appeals Court judge no less, later agrees, referring to the "fruits and nuts" in San Francisco. When confronted by a gun-wielding Senator in the back of a car, the villain snorts, "you can't shoot me; this is San Francisco. They'll think it's just another gay tryst gone bad." (Huh?) I stayed with the film only out of fascination for just how awful it could get. Archer's wooden, creepy performance as a Supreme Court nominee was about as believable as Denise Richards' famous turn as a "nuclear physicist" in one of the Bond films. (Which is to say, laughable.) Unless you get some sick enjoyment out of watching really bad, cynical film-making, avoid this turkey at all costs.

***SPOILER ALERT*** The down and dirty politics involving the conformation of a Supreme Court Justice is effectively and skillfully shown in the made for TV movie "Judicial Indiscretion".Eight Circuit Court Federal Judge Monica Barrett, Anne Archer, has a perfect record in administrating the law in accordance with the US Constitution. In a case Monica presided on some time ago a member of the party the she ruled against has been festering a hatred against her that bordered on insanity. It's that individual who will go to lengths that will not only, if he or she's successful, destroy Monica's career as a jurist but her very life.Being picked by President Sean Allen as a Supreme Court Judge Monica is a shoo-in to be confirmed due to her unblemished record on the bench. Behind the scene's things are put into motion to get Monica into a compromising position and use that to blackmail her. The blackmailer is to either get Monica to do his bidding's on cases she votes on or, with the facts being made public, have her never to be able to go into a courtroom, as a judge, again.This dirty and sleazy job is assigned ,by the chief blackmailer, to handsome and personable Jack Sullivan, Michael Shanks. Sullivan is masquerading around town as a struggling young Irish writer looking to get a break in the publishing industry. Running, or making it look like he did, into Monica when she's on vacation in San Francisco Sullivan gets her to drop her guard as he, after taking her out to dinner, sips her a Micky Finn knocking Monica out cold.It's later when Monica wakes up with a super size hangover and minus her clothes that she realizes that this "struggling young Irish writer" is working to end her very promising career as a newly appointed Supreme Court Justice. The kicker in the movie comes some time later with Monica coming back to her hotel-room and seeing herself, on the TV/DVD player, nude and unconscious as Sulivan, who it turns out is an ex-convict name Rooke, is putting his hands all over her! What Monica also finds out to her great distress is that Rooke is not the person who's behind the scandalous DVD! Someone in a high position of power whom she screwed out of millions, as well as ruined his reputation, in a case that she once presided on is the person behind this blackmail attempt! In his sick mind this blackmail DVD disc is payback for what she did to him!****SPOILERS**** As you would expect in movies like these the blackmailing pair just didn't trust each other. This lead to one of them, Sullivan/Rooke, ripping off his partner out of his share of the blackmail money. Still with Sullivan or Rooke's unquenchable greed he goes so far as to try to kidnap Monica, a soon to be confirmed Supreame Court Justice, and get her to pay him off $100,000.00 a year for life in order to keep his mouth shut. If not he'll release the blackmail tape or DVD video disc to the public!Not playing with a full deck, did he really think that he'll get away with all this?, Sullivan aka Rooke ends up getting blown away as the secret service, who had the hotel staked out, came to Monica's rescue. With her "dirty laundry" in danger of being hang out to dry in public Monica despite her being totally Innocent in what happened to her in her "one night stand" with Sullivan/Rooke offers to resign as a Supreme Court Justice to avoid President Allen any farther embarrassment. This despite the fact that the blackmailing DVD video was destroyed in the shootout at the hotel.****MAJOR SPOILER*** The ending is by far the best part of the movie with President Allen giving a news conference and standing behind his pick, Monica Barrett, for the highest court in the land. This decision was based in Monica, as President Allen said, showing the both the courage and wisdom that's expected from a member of that exalted body of jurisprudence. This courageous act by President Allen, despite the fact that Monica was willing to give up the post, showed that he put justice above politics; Something that the vast majority of our elected officials wouldn't dream much less even consider doing!

Anne Archer is one of the premier actresses of our time having co starred in the classic movie "Fatal Atrraction" for which she received an Acamdey Award nomination. She has also costarred with such talented male stars as Harrison Ford, Micahel Douglas and Gene Hackman. In "Judicial Indescretion" Anne has an accomplished actor Michael Shanks co-starring, who, with the right opportunities, will emerge as a talent to be reckoned with. And it's great to see that Anne has not lost any of her talent, acting abilities nor beauty as she delivers a virtuoso performance. The film is intelligent, riveting at times and socially relevant. Ms Archer is never strident, when lesser actors would be, and always credible with her understated and haunting performance. However, she emerges at the end, not a victim, but a woman empowered. It's too bad that we can't have women of her character in office. Or is that also the message of this subtly directed film?