And Justice For All

...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (15)

D: Norman Jewison

Columbia (Norman Jewison & Patrick Palmer)

US 🇺🇸 1979

119 mins

Drama

W: Barry Levinson & Valerie Curtin

DP: Victor J. Kemper

Ed: John F. Burnett

Mus: Dave Grusin

Al Pacino (Arthur Kirkland), Jack Warden (Judge Francis Rayford), John Forsythe (Judge Henry Fleming), Lee Strasberg (Grandpa Sam), Jeffrey Tambor (Jay Porter), Christine Lahti (Gail Packer)

Al Pacino received his fourth Oscar nomination for Best Actor (& fifth overall) for his performance as a lawyer in this 1979 courtroom drama.

He plays Arthur Kirkland, a defence attorney with a reputation for representing parties who may very well be guilty of the crimes they're challenging. He's appointed to defend a judge on a charge of rape, facing a moral dilemma as he goes about his professional business.

Sadly, the film doesn't spend nearly enough time in the courtroom as it goes through a number of scenes which are completely superfluous to the central plot, weakening the narrative as a result.

However, the courtroom scenes are where the film, and Pacino's performance come alive, particularly in the most famous scene in which the iconic line is delivered ("You're out of order! You're out of order! This whole trial is out of order!").

Despite the courtroom scenes, the rest of the film feels incredibly dated, especially with its depictions of some peripheral characters.

6/10