I've never been the biggest fan of courtroom drama films, so I had put off watching 1982's The Verdict for a while despite it being recommended to me several times.
In this one Paul Newman plays attorney Frank Galvin, a washed-up, alcoholic, ambulance-chaser who has only has only had 4 cases in the last 3 years and he's lost them all. One day a friend and former teacher Mickey Morrissey (played by Jack Warden) hands him a case that should result in a quick, easy, out of court settlement. Two well respected doctors, working for a Catholic hospital, accidentally gave a woman the wrong anesthesia during surgery leaving the woman in a permanent coma. If it were to go to trial it could look badly on the church and permanently damage the reputation of the two doctors, so they want to settle it and sweep the whole thing under the rug. However, once Galvin visits the hospital to take some photos of the woman on life support, he realizes that this may be his chance do the right thing for the first time in a long time.
From a plot standpoint, this isn't going to offer up anything you probably haven't seen before. The church has an army of top-notch, well-respected lawyers working on their behalf and a solid case. Frank and Mickey on the other hand, have a hard time even getting a credible witness. So, it's the classic in-over-his-head attorney, fighting for justice for the common man story and it plays out mostly how you'd expect.
However, the film does largely overcome this predictable, paint-by-numbers plot with some solid writing, decent tension, and good performances throughout, particularly by Paul Newman. Overall, I thought it was a really good film, and I give it a 4 out of 5.
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