As a lawyer investigates the murder of a colleague, he finds himself more connected to the crime than anyone else.As a lawyer investigates the murder of a colleague, he finds himself more connected to the crime than anyone else.As a lawyer investigates the murder of a colleague, he finds himself more connected to the crime than anyone else.
- Awards
- 1 win & 2 nominations
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaHarrison Ford's hair was cut in such a way as to make him look more stiff and unlikable than his previous leading man characters.
- GoofsSandy and his attorney visit the former DA. Raymond, as his new office. They discuss his upcoming testimony to the grand jury. In reality, this is witness tampering and would never be done by a defense attorney at that stage of a case.
- Quotes
[last lines]
Rusty Sabich: [voiceover] The murder of Carolyn Polhemus remains unsolved. It is a practical impossibility to try two people for the same crime. Even if it wasn't, I couldn't take his mother from my son. I am a prosecutor. I have spent my life in the assignment of blame. With all deliberation and intent, I reached for Carolyn. I cannot pretend it was an accident. I reached for Carolyn, and set off that insane mix of rage and lunacy that led one human being to kill another. There was a crime. There was a victim. And there is *punishment*.
- Alternate versionsThe UK cinema version was cut by 10 secs by the BBFC for a '15' certificate to remove the lines "He was trying to fuck her to death" and "Paying to suck his cock in a public place". Video releases were upgraded to an '18' though the prints used were the same as the cut cinema version.
- SoundtracksMacNamara's Band
Music by Shamus O'Connor
Original Lyrics by John J. Stamford
American Version Lyrics by Red Latham, Walter Carlson (as Wamp Carlson) and Guy Bonham
The plot starts in a cold way and takes a while to catch our attention, there is really nothing that holds us and the film looks like it is going to suck. But after we enter the courtroom things really start to get interesting. We followed all the lawyers' arguments and the dialogue with the judge, the pace becomes more pleasant and faster and the twists and turns are taking place, endangering the life of that man who, after all, just wished that his wife had not heard of that stab in the marriage.
Harrison Ford is very good when he has to give life to ordinary men but to whom things happen. It is on him that much of the burden of the film falls, depending on his good performance. Beside him, we have a good and discreet Bonnie Bedelia and a sensual Greta Scacchi, with whom the actor gets good sexual chemistry. Raul Julia shone as a lawyer and Paul Winfield also does not do badly in the role of the judge.
Not being a very technical film, it is based mostly on the story it tells, and on the excellent performance of the actors. It may not be one of the court films that has aged better, as it is truly forgotten these days, but it deserves to be seen and appreciated for what it is.
- filipemanuelneto
- Feb 1, 2020
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Aus Mangel an Beweisen
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $20,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $86,303,188
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $11,718,981
- Jul 29, 1990
- Gross worldwide
- $221,303,188
- Runtime2 hours 7 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1