Movie review: The Verdict (1982)
(The Verdict, 1982)
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" We got lost for a long time. We say. Please God tell us what is right and what is true. There is no definition. The haves are victorious, the have-nots are powerless. We're getting tired of people's lies. ... we doubt ourselves, we doubt our faith, we doubt our system. And I doubt the law. But today you are the law. You are the law. ... my belief is that if you act like you have faith, you will be given it. If we have faith in justice, we just have to believe in ourselves and act on it. I believe in justice in our hearts. "
In court, lawyer Frank Galvin (Paul Newman)'s final argument against juries is a message to audiences and society.
Paul Newman, who plays Frank Galvin in ' The Verdict, ' must be a great actor no matter what. Personally, he is my favorite actor, and I'm sorry that I can't see his new movies anymore, but every time I see his films, I feel like I'm a great actor. ' In particular, Paul Newman's sincere performance in the scene of Frank Galvin's closing arguments makes audiences immersed in the scene beyond their breath.
Sydney Lumet, who directed ' The Verdict, ' is also as much a movie director as Paul Newman. Sydney Lumet is a film director who is not well known for making movies about personal morality and social issues.
Frank Galvin is a lost lawyer for a long time. Frank Galvin used to work at big law firms Stern, Harrington, and Pierce, where he married his daughter, raised his dog, and ended up buying his jury. He is now reduced to an alcoholic and a lawyer who ranks the victims of traffic accidents. However, Frank Galvin is in charge of another case in which Deborah and Kay, whose sister, Susan Benenson, became a vegetable, sued a Catholic hospital.
Although Frank Galvin has turned into a lawyer who identifies the victims of traffic accidents, justice still lives in his mind. Frank Galvin says to Laura Fisher, " But when they get on the jury, you can read them in their eyes. ... maybe I can do the right thing. ... I'm trying to do that. "
Frank Galvin, who saw Deborah and Kay lying in bed relying on machines, presented a huge sum of money from a Catholic hospital that was busy covering up medical accidents.
It seems impossible to win the trial against a Catholic hospital and a large law firm, who are defending the absent and have self-inflicted Frank Galvin. James Mason, a lawyer at a large law firm, prepares for the trial with the help of several lawyers, and even uses newspapers and media to win the trial. On the other hand, Frank Galvin's preparation for the trial is humble compared to Ed Concannan. Mickey Morden is the only one who helps Frank Galvin. And Judge Milo O'Shea is not in favor of Frank Galvin, and suddenly Sally Dornehy's husband, Kevin Gannich, has rejected a huge settlement. And Frank Galvin is shocked to find out that even Laura Fisher, whom Frank Galvin loved and relied on, was a spy bought by Ed Concannan.
And despite the fact that Dr. Frank Galvin managed to find it, despite the testimony of the nurse, Caitlin Costello Price, who was in the hospital at the time of the medical accident, he managed to make a medical accident that turned Deborah and Kay into a plant human. But the judges of the jury raise the hands of Frank Galvin, who ultimately tells the story of the jury, rather than Frank Galvin's. Frank Galvin's final argument emphasizes this : " You are the law. "
The last scene of ' The Verdict ' is impressive. Frank Galvin, who won the trial, does not answer Laura Fisher's phone calls. In contrast, Laura Fisher, who seems to have given up on everything, and Frank Galvin, who rest in a dignified calm, contrast. Each of them is a picture of a man who has betrayed his conscience and a man who has kept his conscience.
Movies that have just passed by a little like ' The Verdict ' give audiences the pleasure of sitting in the audience and seeing the faces of actors who are now big stars or young people, and watching the last scene of ' Judge Frank '. Also on the right side of Bruce Willis is Tobin Bell of the Saw series.
" The Verdict " was chosen by the American Film Institute (Crame) and the American Film Institute (AFI) from 10 different genres of movies, respectively, in the drama section of " The Great 10 (AFIs 10). "