...and justice for all. (1979) Reviews

• Better now than when I was 11

  sllovejoy2002-08-13

  I remember this movie from when I was a kid. I remembered it fondly, and always pictured Pacino giving the big "This whole courtroom's out of order!!" speech. I just rented it again after not seeing it for about twenty years, and WOW! There's a lot more to remember than that one speech. I absolutely loved this movie! I always like Pacino, but sometimes he just plays a similar character over and over. In this one, young Pacino got to play everything from scared to sad to funny to furious... and I thought he did great. I haven't felt for a character so much in quite a while. The relationship between Pacino and his "leading lady" was a good one, especially for the '70's. I thought those two characters were interesting together. The music sucked, but every movie soundtrack at that time sounded like a porno flick, didn't it? It's a story where one bad thing after another happens in a short period of time, in very unrealistic (we all hope!) fashion - but that's a whole movie genre in itself (although I don't know what you'd call it), to make us think of lots of different things and to push the main character over the edge. Without all the subplots, I don't think the ending would have made as much sense. I'd like a copy for my video library, and I don't say that often.

• The young lawyer

  jotix1002006-03-27

  Arthur Kirkland is a young lawyer who realizes early on in his career that whatever he learned in school is different in real life. When we first meet Arthur he seems eager to help his clients. He soon realizes the legal system, as it's practiced in the court room, depends on who is judging the case, as there appears to be jaded judges who are blind to the justice he is seeking for his clients. This 1979, directed by Norman Jewison, and based on a screen play by Barry Levinson and Valerie Curtin, offers another look at the way our legal system works. The young Arthur clearly gets his fill of what is wrong with the system early on as he sees an innocent man go to jail for something he didn't do. That same man, plays a pivoting role in the story when he becomes so frustrated that he can't take it anymore. The same goes for the black cross dresser, who puts his trust in Arthur, only to feel betrayed when Arthur sends a colleague to defend him, but obviously, that lawyer couldn't care less what happens to the poor man. The film is engrossing because of the work of a young, and eager, Al Pacino, who as Arthur Kirkland, is basically, the whole movie. Mr. Pacino, under Mr. Jewison's guidance did a wonderful job in getting under Arthur Kirkland's skin. This was one of the best performances this talented actor gave early in his career. The rest of the cast shows some actors that went on to bigger and better things. Craig T. Nelson, Christine Lahti, Jeffrey Tambor, Domnenic Chianese,and Larry Briggman, made good contributions to the success of the film. Some veteran pros like Jack Warden, John Forsythe, Lee Strassberg, Sam Levene, are also showcased in the film. "And Justice for All" is a satisfactory film worth a look because of Norman Jewison and Al Pacino.

• `Catch-22' inside a courtroom

  halopes2003-11-24

  I liked And Justice for All. I found it very entertaining and absorbing. In its satiric way, the movie is full of rich characters and plausible situations even if sometimes you can spot the cliché around the corner. Sometimes satire works as a magnifying glass to expose and better criticize something. And I believe that's what happens in this movie with all those bizarre scenes and deranged characters. Even though Jewison focuses problems such as corruption, criticizes the danger of powerful people in the wrong places and brings up moral dilemmas about the practice of law, I believe And Justice for All is more of a satire than a serious alert to a possible decadence of the judicial system. The odd elements in the plot are one too many to see the movie strictly from its dramatic point of view: a cross-dresser client, an evidence-eating defendant, a suicidal judge, a hysterical lawyer. In a certain way, the message of this movie reminded me the one of Mike Nichols anti-war comedy Catch-22: in order to cope with a crazy situation you have to become a little crazy. In a war scenario people fight for values like justice and order, but they also fight for power and interests; the same thing happens inside a courtroom. Some lawyers see Law as a business, some see it as a way to promote their personal careers and some see it as the opportunity given to those who have nothing else to lose. The performances are just great, specially the ones of Jack Warden and Jeffrey Tambor. Al Pacino unquestionably steals the movie with another over-the-top performance as the lawyer willing to risk everything and delivers another memorable speech during his `opening statement'.

• Excellent legal drama

  tracynorman2002-08-31

  Superb performances of all players without exception, but of course special mention has to go to Pacino who gives one of the best performances of his career. If you are interested in joining the legal profession (as I was), this is a must-see. Pacino is an over-worked, successful defence lawyer, juggling his heavy caseload. When a judge, whom he is publicly known to hate, is charged with Rape, Pacino is asked to defend him. Although this is the premise for the film, it is so beautifully entwined with many different, rich characters and a multitude of cases, it's almost unfair to even pinpoint the main thread. A perfect blend of tragedy, comedy and drama, I would rank this film in my all-time top 10.

• A Gem!!!

  shuba1999-08-06

  This movie stands out among the hundreds I've seen; It is exactly what it was initially marketed as; an inditement of the late 70's (and I suspect little has changed) legal system. This is accomplished magnificently.. Imagine an over-worked court appointed defender with a heart of gold.. in a corrupt web of compromise, and over-stressed beauro-crats. If you have ever enjoyed a court/lawyer movie give this one a chance!!! Look out for one of the funniest and yet reasonably plausible situations I've ever seen in a movie.