...And Justice For All (1979)

Ugh

I thought this movie was horrific. It was just...dumb, Pacino kept representing clients that just killing themselves and the ending was one of the worst I have ever seen. bad bad movie July 3, 2008

Corruption and Deception Vs Integrity

Basically, this movie is about the struggle between the people who corrupt justice and manipulate it for their own ends, and the people who honesty try to uphold it. Al Pacino is a good honest lawyer, but from the start of the movie, we get the impression that he is nearing the end of his rope (if not already there). (He is basically the opposite of his character in "The Devil's Advocate.") He is worn down largely due to the fact that he has been trying to get an innocent man out of jail while fighting the corrupt Judge Forsythe. Forsythe seems to believe in keeping with the strict letter of the law, even if it does not uphold the intent of the law. (So, this sets the mood for the movie.)

Along the way, Al Pacino tries to help a cross dresser minor felon (Ralph) who messed up, but is not really a dangerous or bad person. Pacino knows that Ralph is sorry for what he did, and that due to his cross dressing, he will never survive if he ends up in jail.

Along the way, Judge Forsythe is arrested for rape, and literally comes crawling to Al Pacino for help. With just a bit of intelligence, we can see that he wants Pacino to defend him because Pacino has no political ties, and he has a reputation for being honest. Because of Pacino's hatred for Forsythe, he is reluctant, but Pacino eventually strikes a deal with him. Pacino will defend him if Forsythe allows Pacino a chance to get an innocent man out of jail.

The movie continues to attack certain aspects of the justice system such as overly light punishments, or plea bargaining that should have been given some more thought. Craig T. Nelson as the DA is an interesting character. He seems to be on the egotistical side, but he does express the intent of the movie at times: "People are getting pi..ed at the law, and I have a chance to change that."

Another interestingly complex character is the suicidal judge Jack Warden. For the most part, he seems to be a decent judge who wants to carry out the law. But throughout the movie, he tries to kill himself several times. (Perhaps the movie is sympathetic to him in that he is trying to uphold fairness in a chaotic world.)

Al Pacino gradually sees his world crumble before him, and this is topped off by his finding that his client Forsythe may really be guilty of raping a young woman. The movie ends with a great passage on the flaw of the justice system: "Both sides want to win, regardless of the truth."

This movie is a real masterpiece that explores not only problems with the justice system, but corruption and deception as well. July 2, 2008

Classic dramatic satire finally gets deluxe edition it deserves with plenty of extras...

Please note: This review is ONLY for the 2008 re-release. If you are reading this and it is under the 2001 release, this review is not for that edition and amazon.com has grouped it together.


It's amazing watching Al Pacino chew the scenery. Norman Jewison's dramatic satire of the judicial system "...And Justice For All" has plenty for Pacino to chew on along with his co-stars Jeffrey Tambor, Jack Warden, Lee Strasberg, Craig T. Nelson and Christine Lahti (in one of her first major screen roles). Pacino manages to get every morsel of nutrition out of a scene. The meaty script allows Pacino's co-stars to equal him scene for scene which is perfect for a dramatic satire of this sort.

Opening with images of an empty court house with children reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, "And Justice for All" represents a satire as broad and powerful as "Network" in eviscerating the justice system as that other film did TV. Pacino plays attorney Arthur Kirkland the type of attorney who becomes very involved in his client's cases going to bat for them in a big way or in this case providing a knock out punch worthy of a boxing match. For example when we first meet him he's in lock up on a contempt charge for hitting a corrupt judge (John Forsythe) when he didn't agree with his decision. As luck would have it (or karma depending on your point of view), the very same judge has been charged with the rape of a young girl. He turns to Kirkland because he realizes that the attorney is passionate about his cases and that their adversarial relationship will prevent any later charges of a cover up. Kirkland has to overcome his distaste for the judge and manage a trial that could make or break what's left of his legal career.

A marked improvement over the first edition from 2001 which had plenty of analog imperfections and didn't look much better than a top notch high quality VHS transfer, the colors are more accurate and the film has much better detail and sharpness. Keep in mind that this is a film made in 1979 so you are going to see grain (it was shot on a grainy film stock to begin with)and it's not going to pop like a film from 2008 but that's also part of the charm of this classic. It looks exactly how it should.

Audio hasn't been remixed for 5.1 and is still in the original mono. It is a slight improvement over the original audio with slightly better clarity and dialogue coming through clearly but it still sounds flat without much depth.

Be aware that part of this digital clean up and remaster may have been prepared for the Blu-ray that will eventually hit the street. If you have a Blu-ray player you may want to wait to see if it does, indeed, street some time in the immediate future.

The extras for this edition are a marked improvement over the 2001 release, we get the original commentary by Norman Jewison ported over for this edition. It's a fun and involving commentary and it's clear that Jewison is enjoying watching the film as much as we are.

We also get a pair of extremely good interviews with director Jewison and co-writer Barry Levinson discussing the making of the film. Jewison is always a joy to listen to and he relates a story about Lahti first being cast. Jewison liked her and was hesitant about putting in the film because she's taller than Pacino (quite a bit actually) and he didn't know how Pacino would feel about it. He saw her performance and thought she was brilliant so he insisted that she be in the film.

We also get a preview for Pacino's new film "88 Minutes", the original theatrical trailer and deleted scenes. As an additional promotional move Sony has included the acclaimed pilot for the excellent legal drama "Damages". As to how "Damages" looks you'll have to read my review of that TV show.

Finally we get previews for "Close Encounters: The Special Edition" which features all three versions of the film as well as a huge assortment of extras (you'll have to read my review of that set to get an insight into what is included, etc.) and "Taxi Driver: Special Collector's Edition". The latter preview is presented in a modern, annoyingly edited format with an annoying dance score that has absolutely nothing to do with the film itself. I suppose they are trying to suck in the younger crowd who have never seen one of De Niro's finest and most disturbing performances (and that's saying quite a bit). Finally we get a preview for the contemporary underrated thriller "We Own the Night".

A marked improvement over the 2001 release of "...And Justice For All", this edition looks better and comes loaded. I can highly recommend this digitally remastered classic.
March 9, 2008

MISSING IN ACTION

And just exactly where has this gem been hiding all of these years? This one seemingly blew right by me in the late 1970's, much to my chagrin. Pacino plays a supercharged lawyer with morals ,perhaps a Vietnam leftover, who has the audacity to believe that all men should be equal before the law."The system" around him believes otherwise, and Al is seemingly determined to fix as much of it as possible All that he has to do is to get the world to practice the Ten Commandments.His path is strewn with nutty defendants, unscrupulous lawyers, wacky judges, immoral judges,and a bevy of politicians and legal gaffes. He's already at the breaking point when the most hated judge in New York (Forsythe) hires Al to defend him in a rape case in which the judge admits his guilt, just prior to going to trial. Pushed to the limit, Pacino puts on one of Hollywood's great finales.This movie is a must-see for all who despise wealth, arrogance, power, and any or all "establishments". If you're not on this list, there might be some cause for concern. January 27, 2008

Pacino shines

I first saw this film on TV several decades ago and hadn't seen it for a long time. Would it have the same impact that it had 20 years ago? Have my views changed in that time? Well having seen it again today, the answer is a resounding yes and no respectively.

Its certainly an oddball film, mixing the laugh out-loud with moments that will leave you knotted up with anger and frustration. Jack Warden plays the suicidal Judge Rayford, and John Forsythe is Judge Fleming who is accused of raping and assaulting a young woman. Al Pacino is Arthur Kirkland an idealistic lawyer who ends up defending Judge Fleming.

There are a few contrived moments, but stick with it as the ending is worth waiting for, when Al Pacino gives his opening statement to the Jury. When this film was made in the late 1970's Al Pacino was at his very best, and the movie star Pacino had not yet taken over. His performance throughout the film is marvellous.

It isn't a masterpiece by any means, but its a lot better than most films being made today. See it if only for Pacino's performance.
November 19, 2007

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