The Verdict
| The Verdict | |
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 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Sidney Lumet |
| Produced by | David Brown Richard D. Zanuck |
| Screenplay by | David Mamet |
| Based on | The Verdict by Barry Reed |
| Starring | Paul Newman Charlotte Rampling Jack Warden James Mason Milo O'Shea |
| Cinematography | Andrzej Bartkowiak |
| Editing by | Peter C. Frank |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | December 8, 1982 |
| Running time | 129 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Verdict is a 1982 courtroom drama film which tells the story of a down-on-his-luck alcoholic lawyer who pushes a medical malpractice case in order to improve his own situation, but discovers along the way that he is doing the right thing. Since the lawsuit involves a woman in a persistent vegetative state, the movie is cast in the shadow of the Karen Ann Quinlan case. The movie stars Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, James Mason, Milo O'Shea, and Lindsay Crouse.
Directed by Sidney Lumet, the film was adapted by David Mamet from the novel by Barry Reed and is not a remake of the 1946 film of the same name.
The Verdict was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Paul Newman), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (James Mason), Best Director (Sidney Lumet), Best Picture and Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (David Mamet).
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[edit] Plot
Frank Galvin (Paul Newman), once a promising Boston lawyer, is now an alcoholic ambulance chaser who has lost all of his four cases over the last three years. As a favor, his friend Mickey (Jack Warden) throws him a medical malpractice case where it's all but assured that the defense will settle for a large amount. The case involves a young mother who was possibly administered the wrong anesthetic and is now in a coma. The relatives of the mother are hoping for the settlement and Frank assures them they have a strong case.
Frank visits the coma-stricken young mother and is deeply affected. He then meets with the defendants: The Archdiocese of Boston, who run the Catholic hospital where the incident took place. As expected, the archdiocese offers a fair amount of money to settle out of court, but Frank declines the offer, as he fears that this may be his last chance to do right as a lawyer and taking the money would make him "lost." Everyone, including the presiding judge and the mother's relatives, is stunned by Frank's decision.
Things quickly go wrong for Frank. His star medical witness bails on him; his opponent, the high-priced attorney Ed Concannon (James Mason), has a large team at his disposal and is masterful with the press; and no one wants to talk about what, if anything, went wrong in the emergency room on the day in question. Frank discovers that Laura (Charlotte Rampling), his new lover, was hired by the defense's law firm to spy on him. He refuses to give up, even when he has the opportunity to have the case declared a mistrial. Though his case is somewhat weak at times, he concludes with an impassioned final speech calling the jury to pursue truth and justice. The jury sides with Frank and awards the family a large, but unstated, amount of money.
[edit] Production
Robert Redford was originally slated to star in this film, but he was uncomfortable with the script. After several rewrites, he decided that he did not like the story and left the project. Sidney Lumet came on board and chose the original script as the one he would direct.
Bruce Willis has an uncredited background appearance as an extra, in one of his first film projects. After the verdict is read for the plaintiff, Willis can be seen to the left of Paul Newman's head and can be seen smiling. Another notable star in this very same instance, but to the right is Tobin Bell.
[edit] Cast
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[edit] Reception
The Verdict has a 96% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It's also ranked #75 on AFI's 100 Years…100 Cheers and #4 on AFI's Top 10 Courtroom Dramas.
