movie-viking
A fairly good story...about a young man facing the death penalty for a murder he says he didn't commit."You have NO memory, NO alibi, and NO explanation..." says his defense lawyer.The defense lawyer (Matthew Modine) lost his wife and two sons in a car accident a few years before...Movie opens on him...in his empty home...he's ready to pull the trigger and kill himself. Till the phone rings...and he's assigned this murder case.The prosecutor is an older, experienced man who has previously beaten the defense lawyer...Prosecutor rigorously pursues the death penalty. I do agree with one reviewer above...At some point, the dramatic tension DROPS because you learn too early...who the real villain is... and that the real villain will be exposed. Is a moderately entertaining TV movie...and does bring up the fact that not only Rohipnol (the date rape drug) but a similar drug...can be used to knock a woman...or a man...out! (The date rape scenario is handled with minimum detail and no scenes in the movie show the crime. Suitable for grade school and above aged children.)
Gustavo Bastos
Surprisingly good movie with Mat Modine.Some people said it's a religious movie but it's not as much others I've seen lately. Except for some dialogs between Mac and the psychiatrist, there's no more of that.The plot is kind of predictable but much better than several of the current courtroom dramas we see in the theaters or TV.The movie has very good acting with some exceptions but those don't compromise the movie itself. Very touching, with some twists and some suspense in the end.I would recommend for my friends.
desolationtango
This movie should come with a label warning the viewer that the only people who will enjoy it will also enjoy sitting through a two hour church service with no singing and no suspense, while they listen to their pastor summarize his previous 20 sermons.What has happened to Matthew Modine? This is not the same actor I saw in Full Metal Jacket or Vision Quest.There should also be a warning that nothing in the movie will have anything in common with a real trial. I could have done a better closing in my sleep.I'm embarrassed I watched it. I could have spent the evening cutting my wrists and letting the blood out one drop every 15 minutes. It would have been much more interesting. The movie is as dull as my review.
rjfields
If you are a 'believer' in need of having your faith reinforced by an attractive medium, then this is your movie. Family friendly, violence-free, tranquil 'To-Kill-a-Mockingbird' small-town setting and warm musical score, it's all there. And you will probably not be too distracted by the thin, worn and predictable plot and the inconsistent editing. As far as the acting, perhaps the actors and actresses involved gave as much of their talent as was possible. That I don't really feel qualified to assess. But having been a trial attorney myself, as with every film featuring a criminal trial, I'm interested in whatever nuances the writers will bring not only to the climactic jury delivery (there were, to be sure, some insightful words in that respect), but also to the attorneys' stress, preparation, investigation, planning, questioning, etc. And that is where for me the movie fails, in that in its subtle eagerness to put across its god-centered message, it ignores the gaping insufficiencies in the substance of the trial itself. No defense attorney with a conscience and a capable intellect would ever come to a murder trial as ill-prepared as Modine's character. In the film-makers' defense, it was obvious in several of the courtroom scenes and exchanges, that the novelist and/or scriptwriter did have some legal consultation during the project, but it simply was overborne by the inevitable tendency of artists to create somewhat of an alchemist's solution rather than expend the effort necessary to fashion a more richly atmospheric, suspenseful tale. For the latter, and without the theism, try "The Verdict" starring Paul Newman.Perhaps my chief 'criticism' of this film, however, is in its deception-by-omission marketing. Certainly there is nothing objectionable about making a family-friendly movie. Many studios do a wonderful job of doing so, and I too have had enough of blood, gore, car chases, superheroes and CGI to last a lifetime. But this film is more than just a vehicle for family entertainment. It is a film that you would expect to see in a church or religious setting, not in a general public distribution. If you are skeptical that this film's central message is advocacy for a theistically-centered life, be mindful near the end of the credits which inform you that for more information about the 'themes' in the movie, visit www.refuge.net. Doing so will dispel any doubt.
