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DVD
NEWMAN,PAUL
Publisher: 20th Century Fox
Andrzej Bartkowiak
Format: Collector's Edition, Color, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Actors: Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, James Mason, Milo O'Shea
Sidney Lumet's riveting courtroom drama earned five Oscar(r) nominations including Best Picture and Best Actor for Paul Newman's towering performance as a down-and-out alcoholic attorney who stumbles onto one last chance to redeem himself. When attorney Frank Calvin (Newman) is given an open-and-shut medical malpractice case that no one thinks he can win, he courageously decides to refuse a settlement from the hospital. Instead he takes the case, and the entire legal system, to court.
In this 1982 courtroom drama written by David Mamet and directed by Sidney Lumet, Paul Newman found the perfect role for a transitional period of his stellar career. As alcoholic Boston lawyer Frank Galvin, Newman shook off his screen persona as a handsome, blue-eyed hunk to portray an aging, weary man whose best years are behind him, with a shot-glass future that looks very bleak indeed. But when Galvin is given a chance to redeem himself--by proving medical negligence in the case of a comatose woman--he makes one final effort to regain his self-respect and tarnished reputation. He's an underdog against formidable odds, facing a powerful, politically connected lawyer (James Mason, slick as ever) who will do anything to win his case, regardless of professional ethics. Further complicating matters is a woman (Charlotte Rampling) who only appears to be worthy of Galvin's trust and love, until Galvin's best friend and colleague (Jack Warden) proves otherwise. Excellent as both courtroom drama and riveting character study, the film crackles with Mamet's sharp dialogue; and Lumet's direction is a brilliant example of forceful restraint. The film gave Newman one of the best roles of his career; many felt he deserved the Oscar (he lost to Ben Kingsley in Gandhi) that would belatedly be given to Newman for The Color of Money. Along with Hud, Cool Hand Luke, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Verdict ranks highly as a signature performance by one of America's all-time greatest actors. --Jeff Shannon
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| Great Movie |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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I loved the movie..and the very fast service..The Verdict is a classic, and as usual, AMAZON had it...Thanks..Leta
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| A striking performance by Newman with an all-star cast |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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"The Verdict" is one of the all-time great courtroom films. The basic storyline involves Paul Newman as a broken-down ambulance-chasing plaintiff's attorney who nonetheless has gotten hold of an excellent medical malpractice case. The Newman character had a streak of very bad luck earlier in his career, and is now an alcoholic wreck, neglecting his law practice as he descends into failure.
One of the interesting things about this film is that unlike most legal flicks, this one involves a civil suit rather than a criminal case. And it handles it, for the most part, very well. In the story Newman totally botches the case in most respects. I did think that the movie's handling of the issues Newman had with the Judge was somewhat unrealistic (no lawyer would speak to a Judge that way). Setting these nits aside, this is nonetheless a fine film and an engaging storyline. I would like to list some of the technical inaccuracies about the trial and litigation process as this film presents them, but I will not for fear of introducing spoilers.
Newman fully explores his range as an actor, a great actor, in this film. In most of his films he plays an assertive, aggressive type. Here, he is hesitant, lacking in confidence--in fact he is a failing wreck who has been defeated by life and past villains. He pulls it off brilliantly, and his characterization is highly believable. This is an Oscar-caliber performance, although Newman was edged out in 1982 when the film hit the theaters.
James Mason pulls a bravo performance as the "Prince of Darkness" defense counsel. I always enjoy Mason, and in this film he does not disappoint.
No one should miss this one. It is one of the greats.
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| The Verdict |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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In a word: "Riveting". A 1982 release with a great cast. Whoever stole the Oscar from Paul Newman that year after THIS performance should be exiled! No "special effects": just great acting, great story, and a timeless film that is very much underappreciated.
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| Mamet's Best Work Ever |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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What is the best part of Sidney Lumet's direction, other than hiring Newman for the lead? Reverting to David Mamet's script that had been rejected years before by other directors. Mamet's troubled childhood forged him into a hard-bitten Stoic and this film is the perfect arena for him to work out his grudges against authority and his advocacy of the meek. As Lumet points out, Mamet gives us just enough of a hint of Newman's character that we can imagine him as an altar boy long gone rancid but still beholden to the promise of grace and redemption. There is no other case, there is no other case. Seneca and James would have been proud.
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| The Verdict Is In |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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The Verdict is, in my view, the crown jewel performance of a man who had many jewels in his crown of abilities and successes. I recommend this movie to all ages (opps, a little rough on some of the language so it should be seen first by parents). As long as you have lived long enough to make a mistake and then not want to any more this movie will move you. Newman's Best. As an attorney I can say it is moving and motivating (even though some of the tactics are questionable). Awesome supporting cast (James Mason, Jack Warden) and a great interview with Newman on the second CD. Worth every penny because you will want to watch it again and share it with others.
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