Saturday, November 21, 2009

The Verdict (1982)

From NetFlix: "A washed-up, ambulance-chasing attorney (Paul Newman) gets a chance at redemption when his friend (Jack Warden) tosses him an open-and-shut medical malpractice case. But instead of accepting an easy cash settlement, he takes the powerful defendant to court. James Mason plays the opposing counsel, whom his legal adversary calls "The Prince of Darkness," in this courtroom drama from director Sidney Lumet. 1982 129 minutes

DJE: While this deals with a malpractice trial, there is much more to this film. It is an indictment of the medical and legal systems and an amazingly moving well-acted drama. It is worth watching, but it does not give much insight into how malpractice suits affect physicians or patients and their families.
That may be the ultimate point: this is a game played out in the courtroom and The Truth is not always the deciding factor.

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