I've seen this film once or twice before. First time, it was when it hit the home video market so I'd guess late 97. The second time was on TV several years after that.

Here I am watching it after a further decade or so...

I know the twist that is coming. Long before The Sixth Sense made final plot twists cool, this film borrowed from the best film of the previous year - The Usual Suspects - and had a final moment twist to improve itself. Had it waited a couple of years before trying this ruse, it might be better remembered.

It's an engaging courtroom drama with mystery thriller aspects. Good performances all round, with special exception of Richard Gere.

Gere comes in for a lot of bad press. His style of acting is classed as wooden. I disagree. He seems to me to have mastered th E art of acting like the everyman. And he acts like a man off the street. Which is his downfall... His mannerisms are slight, his demeanour is subtle, his outbursts contained.

Some actors can convey hours of anger with a twitch - think early De Niro. Some can explode and not overfill the screen - think late Pacino.

Gere is at one ned of the spectrum but should have been plying his trade at the other. From Pretty Woman to Shall We Dance, his acting could have been better than it was whilst not being poor such that those movies were failures.

In short, this is well worth a watch.


8/10

I was never the greatest fan of Richard Gere, but this is certainly one of his better performances. He is cocky lawyer "Vail", adept at ensuring his criminal fraternity clients evade justice. When the shocking news that an archbishop has been savagely murdered is announced, he decides on a bit of pro-bono work to defend the young "Aaron" (Ed Norton) against the prosecuting skills of his ex-girlfriend "Janet" (Laura Linney). As the courtroom drama unfolds, though, we soon establish that there are undertones that call into question not just who did what to whom, but also the integrity of the victim and of many of his well-connected associates. The film belongs to Norton, though. As his character develops, with the assistance of probing psychologist "Molly" (Frances McDormand), we discover that there are quirks to his character that this actor delivers superbly. So much falls into place in the last ten minutes, or so, before a denouement that is both unexpected and perversely quite fitting. It is a bit too long, and takes maybe half an hour before it starts to simmer; but once the plot starts to advance in earnest, this becomes a superior crime thriller with twists, turns and strong performances throughout.