Product Description

Taut and emotionally powerful, Michael Apted's compelling showdown courtroom drama is driven by characters as intriguing as its predicament. The only thing Jedediah Tucker Ward and his daughter have in common is law. Equally brilliant, equally driven, t

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14721 in DVD
• Brand: TCFHE
• Released on: 2005-02-01
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 109 minutes

From The New Yorker
In this high-concept legal thriller, directed by Michael Apted, Gene Hackman plays a flamboyant lawyer who specializes in civil-liberties and consumer-advocacy cases, and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio plays his daughter, an ambitious associate in a slick corporate-law firm. The script-by Carolyn Shelby, Christopher Ames, and Samantha Shad-contrives to pit the father and the daughter against each other in a negligence suit against an auto manufacturer. Sparks, both personal and professional, are meant to fly, but the Hollywood engineers who designed this piece of product have cut a few too many corners: the thriller plotting is predictable, the family drama is broad and sentimental, and the connections between them are facile. Yet Hackman and Mastrantonio somehow manage to impart lifelike rhythms to their scenes together: their skill keeps this rickety contraption from stalling completely. -Terrence Rafferty
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Very Moving
This is an extraordinary drama in which father and daughter (both lawyers) with big emotional issues have a face-off in the courtroom.
Aside from a very well-constructed plot and competent direction by Michael Apted, the performances delivered by the actors are quite impressive. The supporting cast is very good, especially Jan Rubes (Alexander Pavel).
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio shows great maturity in a challenging role - and the fact that she is stunningly beautiful does not hurt.
And what about that Gene Hackman? What a brilliant actor. Watching him feels like a real privilege. Don't you miss the chance of doing it.

Class Action
This is one of the best movies that I have watched. My college instructor compared it to some instruction he was doing in class. Five of 25 students had seen the movie and agreed that it was a perfect example of what we were studying. I was trying to purchase it so that all the class could view it.

Thrilling Courtroom Drama
Best courtroom drama movie I have ever seen. Performances of Gene Hackman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio are superb as father and daughter attorneys on opposite sides of an automobile accident case. The story pits big-corporation corporate attorney (Mastrantonio) against small-time scrappy class-action attorney (Hackman). But the highlight is the intra-family dynamics between father, mother, and daughter, which are superbly developed as the tension of the lawsuit case unfolds. The screenwriting is excellent, handling characters from attorneys to family to scientists, plus powerful revelations in the final courtroom scene. You will say, "Wow" at the end.