The Guilty (2000)

Polished modern noir movie

This crisp and well made little movie is set in Florida ,during what appears to be a season of perpetual rain ,virtually every external scene taking place in a downpour .
Bill Pullman plays an ambitious and ruthless lawyer who is appointed to a Federal judgeship ,a position he has long coveted .There are however clouds on his personal horizon .His wife is having an affair with his best friend ;he has an illegitimate son ,a minor criminal with a conviction for auto theft ,who has found out about his father and wishes to track hin down ;in addition his new assistant,a most attractive young woman is blackmailing him after he raped and fired her .
His solution ? Hire the son to kill the blackmailer and then set him up to take the rap .The only thing he did not anticipate was that the two would fall in love ,or that one of his son's criminal associates would then seek to step up to the plate .
The plot is slick ,cynical and twisty and a very capable cast do it full justice .

This is derivative but well made and attractively cast ,making it an enjoyable way to kill 90 minutes or so June 8, 2005

GUILTY PLEASURE

Bill Pullman stars as a cocky, self-assured federal judge-to-be who seems to get away with murder..or does he? Pullman takes his secretary out, and in a fit of drunken stupor, rapes her. She threatens to expose him; he decides to hire someone to kill her. Director Anthony Waller keeps the pace a little slow, but does manage some great camera angles and a few plot twists to save the day. Devon Sawa, Gabrielle Anwar, Joanne Whalley and Angela Featherstone provide good support and the ending is a real doozy!
A nice change of pace mystery. March 30, 2004

Very Good

I think this film is one of the best films Devon Sawa has ever appeared in. I will admit the beginning is pretty boring, but as the film goes on, the better it gets. It's all about a lawyer, Callum Crane (Bill Pullman) who only cares about himself and his career and a young boy, Nathan Corrigan (Devon Sawa) who has just got out of jail and begins looking for his real father who just so happens to be Callum. On a one off date with his secretary, Sophie (Gabrielle Anwar), Callum gets very drunk, and rapes her. She then files a lawsuit against him after he fires her and gets promoted to be a judge. Callum hires Nathan after he saves him from being mugged by two thugs in a carpark to kill her. Nathan gets $5.000, a photo and an address of where Sophie lives, but throws it away, only to be found by his pal, Leo (Jaimz Woolvett) who owes money to someone. When he hears there's another $25.000 in the bag for killing Sophie, he sets out to find her...
Very good film which I recommend if you want to be in suspense! June 13, 2002

Pullman pulls average movie into entertainment

Actor Bill Pullman (While You Were Sleeping) gets past the average acting of the younger stars in "The Guilty" to make a pretty good suspense/murder mystery. Too much airtime was given to the younger actors which is always a mistake when seasoned talent is also used. Afterall, it's Mr. Pullman's name and talent that makes viewers want to see the movie. It's murder with a twist and a moral: Don't get caught up with Generation X. November 16, 2001

Indeed, a very good thriller !

you will be surprised with this low budget, low production company, movie. a nice, well written, and wonderful direction,
The Guilty is a good choice for rental, and even buying. Trust me...i trusted, and was not dissapointed. September 4, 2001

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