We’re back in the Deep South, the favourite haunt of John Grisham, the author of the novel on which this legal drama is based. This is "A Time To Kill" country, where you expect everyone to be married to their cousin, banjos are strumming on the porch, and the catfish are running. Unusually, the star of this film is not a lawyer (though there is one); no, it’s not the victim either (though there is one); the legal system features, but the real headliner in this movie is an eleven year old boy with more smarts than most adults, but not much else going for him (and no father). In fact, he’s smart enough to know he needs help, and he makes the best decision of his young life when he chooses that rarest of all breeds for this job – an honest lawyer with nothing more than her client’s best interests at heart (yes, there are such people around). Enter Reggie Love, one of the more interesting fictitious lawyers we’ve come across (in real life these are few and far between!). The young boy, Mark, chooses her because she looks nice enough – so there’s a lesson for you, sometimes it’s the best way to choose a lawyer. It’s an unlikely meeting, but what the hell! It’s a great scene, and like all great scenes it hardly matters that it doesn’t make sense. This is a fateful rendezvous. In the best movie tradition, from these humble beginnings is forged a relationship that will change their lives forever. What’s best about this movie is the characterisation. Reggie is a great personality, damaged enough to recognise the vulnerability of a needful child, but enough of a lawyer to save him as well. She’s a cactus of lawyer – hard on the outside where she faces up to her foes, soft on the inside where she is able to comfort Mark’s fears. And there is enough villainy here to satisfy the audience’s desire for blood and guts. It’s the usual assortment of political gangsters, lawyers with black hats, their cohorts, and Tommy Lee Jones as the cynically ambitious Federal Prosecutor. Watch out for the scenes at the beginning – they’ll put you on the edge of your seat and keep you there for about an hour. And by the way, where’s the body??? (we’re not telling). Some of this movie, especially in the last half, goes a bit overboard in the believability stakes. Here at Law in the Lounge we get tired of seeing lawyers suddenly turn into death defying private detectives who are prepared to go to any lengths to protect their clients – in our experience, lawyers tend to get nervous at the sight of an angry judge, let alone a pistol-packing gangster! Do we really need the comatose brother and the trips to his bedside? We were disappointed at the time of the press conference at the end – is this for real? This will show you where there’s a problem with the plot. And we weren’t scared enough by the Mafioso Muldano (the Australian Anthony La Plagia). Is he for real? How do we protect children in the legal process? Of course, Reggie takes the right attitude straight away – she treats Mark as her client, even though he is not an adult, and gives him the same consideration that any client would have. In Australia, it is well recognised that children should be treated differently under the law. If they’re giving evidence, it can be done in an almost anonymous way – for instance, most courts have facilities that allow children to give evidence from a room other than the court room. Often a judge will speak to a child in their chambers, which is a fancy name for their office. Judges will often make it clear they want to speak to children alone – there is a good reason for this, because children are more likely to be intimidated in the presence of some adults. In the Family Court, children are sometimes allowed to have their own lawyer. This is called "separate representation". The lawyer who acts as a separate representative for the child makes decisions that they think are in the child’s best interests. The lawyer should present the child’s views (assuming the child is old enough), but the lawyer will also give their own views about what is in the best interests of the child. The child’s lawyer can also cross-examine witnesses and present other evidence they think will help the judge make their decision. This can include bringing an expert witness to court. Director Joel Schumacher has now created quite a catalogue of movies – he wrote some forgettable screenplays before he directed "The Incredible Shrinking Woman", which starred Lily Tomlin of "Laugh-In" fame. He’s made some real hits – "St Elmo’s Fire", an ordinary brat pack drama; the ridiculous "Flatliners"; the last two Batman movies; and the interesting "Falling Down" with Michael Douglas, which was quite a departure from his usual fare. His latest Grisham movie is "A Time To Kill". Susan Sarandon seems to have finally made her mark on the consciousness of the average filmgoer. Following a stretch in Catholic school, she married Chris Sarandon, a 60s B-grade actor. She kept the name and went on to far outdo the ex-hubby. It’s the eyes, of course, peering beyond that perfect bone structure, leaving us wondering at the mystery behind them. All this might just make her a model – but this woman can really act, culminating in her Academy Award for best actress in "Dead Man Walking". Before that she had been nominated in Louis Malle’s "Atlantic City" with Burt Lancaster, and again for the role in this film, "The Client". If you want to see how really good she is, and you like sports movies, check out the fantastic "Bull Durham" where she creates one of the most unforgettable characters in modern movies (and met now long time partner and father of her children, the very talented Tim Robbins). She is probably best known nowadays for the landmark "Thelma and Louise" – pity they drove off that cliff at the end! Tommy Lee Jones has come a long way from the days when he was the perpetual cowboy with the bedroom eyes. Hard to believe, but in real life he was far removed from these characters – in fact he was a Harvard graduate from the English department. And how’s this for a trivial fact to dazzle your friends – at Harvard he was a roomie with Vice President Al Gore! Jones won an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1995 in "The Fugitive", where he was vastly better than Harrison Ford. His only real bomb has been as "Two-Face" in "Batman Forever", also directed by Joel Schumacher – it was almost painful to watch him camp it up with Jim Carrey. He has been recently seen in "Volcano", a better class disaster movie. There is word that a sequel to "The Fugitive" may be in the works. The best scenes are between Sarandon as Reggie and Renfro as Mark. Maybe it's that hang-dog look that Sarandon has affected, an angel with perfect bone structure and basset-like eyes. And Renfro (have we see him again?) is very good as the scared boy who needs some mothering – and Reggie is a mother looking for a child. As usual, it’s hard to pin down the appeal of Tommy Lee Jones. He was perfect in "The Fugitive", a part almost written for him, but here there is something almost intangible in his style – this is what we’re looking for in this movie, the evil that men do to get what they’re driven to achieve. He’s really very accomplished in this part, and manages to steal more than a few scenes. His character, Roy Foltrigg (where do they get these names?), belongs on a stage with a bunch of second rate actors – he has a penchant for misquoting the Bible that is quite endearing. But as we all know, the law is a second rate stage, and often the award goes to the biggest ham. Foltrigg understand this, and plays it for all its worth. We liked a lot of this movie, especially the tension that director Schumacher brings to our hero’s constant dilemma. There is some stirring courtroom stuff, where even the most inept director would be hard put not to find a fair dollop of drama. In the end, though there is much to satisfy, there is also a fair amount to disappoint, particularly when it comes to the far fetched plot – maybe Grisham churns out so many books he doesn’t have the time to devote to consistent plot lines. Still, Jones is suitably dastardly in an intelligent way – and Sarandon as Reggie is determined not to let him sacrifice her client to further his career. It’s hard to call this a legal thriller – it’s really a straightforward drama, dressed up with a few legal spills and thrills. Our money was always on Reggie – Foltrigg is a lawyer who needs to be taken down a peg or two, and Reggie is clearly the woman to do it. There is a moral to this story – sometimes it’s hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys. Well, that’s an old story indeed, but who cares when it’s tied in a pretty bow and makes for a good night’s diversion? If you don’t look too far, that’s exactly what you’ll get from this entertaining drama. Want us to tell you when we review another movie ? Read this: The legal information contained above is intended to be general information about the law. It is not a substitute for legal and other professional advice. Lawscape Communications P/L does not accept responsibility for loss to any person, who either acts or does not act because of this information. |