“You know, so much of the time we're just lost. We say, ‘Please, God, tell us what is right; tell us what is true.’ And there is no justice: the rich win, the poor are powerless. We become tired of hearing people lie. And after a time, we become dead... a little dead. We think of ourselves as victims... and we become victims. We become... we become weak. We doubt ourselves, we doubt our beliefs. We doubt our institutions. And we doubt the law. But today you are the law. You ARE the law. Not some book... not the lawyers... not the, a marble statue... or the trappings of the court. See those are just symbols of our desire to be just. They are... they are, in fact, a prayer: a fervent and a frightened prayer. In my religion, they say, ‘Act as if ye had faith... and faith will be given to you.’ IF... if we are to have faith in justice, we need only to believe in ourselves. And ACT with justice. See, I believe there is justice in our hearts.”
These are the words Frank Galvin (Paul Newman) utters for his closing arguments in what he sees as a lost case, a trial where nothing has gone his way and he has every right to believe will be yet another loss for his flailing career. He’s pissed away his good name, drank himself out of a solid legal career, and been forced to resort in ambulance chasing just to get by. But a settlement case, one that was supposed to be a guaranteed win netting him a quick payout, goes south when he visits the injured party in the hospital and cannot bring himself to accept such a pittance for an out-of-court settlement. This is director Sidney Lumet’s take on a courtroom drama and, like the best of the genre, it’s a David vs Goliath battle with Frank going head-to-head with a Catholic Hospital’s whole legal team intent on protecting one of their own, a highly decorated anesthesiologist who may have given his patient the wrong anesthesia and caused her excessive brain damage, leaving her in a coma. Frank has been gifted this case with the intent that he would accept the settlement and take his commission and run.
Frank is at the end of his barrel. He drinks too much and has had a slew of bad decisions that have left him without any clients and barely a practice. His former partner Mickey Morrissey (Jack Warden) throws him a bone one day, offering him this medical malpractice case where the defendant’s are likely to settle before court for a significant amount. Unbeknownst to him, a representative of the Catholic diocese wants to lowball the offer believing that if the suit goes to trial they could easily win it avoiding paying the money and clearing their doctor’s name. If the low offer is taken, which they believe will be the case, it won’t cost them much. Much to their surprise, Frank rejects the offer outright and demands a trial. The plaintiffs, the victim’s sister and brother-in-law, needed the payout to cover the hospital expenses and are upset Frank turned down the settlement. But Frank has some contacts that promise to testify making this case seem like a sure win.
The hospital’s attorney, Ed Concannon (James Mason), has a large legal team that are adept at handling and manipulating the press. They school the anesthesiologist, Doctor Towler (Wesley Addy), in how to respond to questions and how to present himself to the public to appear more confident in the face of cross-examination. They also employ a woman to get close to Frank Galvin and spy on his every move, giving them a leg up in the case. As Frank’s case falls apart, thanks to witnesses disappearing or refusing to testify, all he can do is try and find the one nurse who hasn’t spoken up for her boss. But that one nurse is missing and, even if they do find her, may not be willing to testify.
Paul Newman disappears into this character, showing us an alcoholic who is trembling with anxiety, needing a drink while simultaneously trying to pull himself together in a desperate bid to save his fractured life. There are moments where that anxiety is so palpable that he seems on the verge of exploding. It’s in his every motion during the trial as legitimate proofs keep getting thrown out by the seemingly biased judge. During one scene between Judge Hoyle (Milo O’Shea) and the opposing councils in the judge’s chambers Frank looks like he is just one bad thought away from launching himself over the desk and assaulting him. Frank is not a bad lawyer but he has made a series of poor decisions, all of which can be traced back to his alcoholism, that have led him to where he is and this keeps being thrown in his face by Judge Hoyle who has nothing but contempt for him.
James Mason is equally fascinating to watch as the opposing lawyer, Ed Concannon. Ed has all the resources at his disposal as well as a sympathetic judge on his side. He also has the goodwill of the people surrounding his client who is a renowned doctor with a stellar reputation. Ed spends a good portion of the film with a confident smile on his face, certain that the case will easily go his way in the court. It’s only when Frank shows up with the missing nurse who has damning testimony that Ed loses that assurity for a short while. But he is smart and has a team to back him up and that damning bit of evidence is quickly thrown out. If only he could stricken it from the minds of the jurors so easily.
This is a courtroom drama but it’s also about a story about redemption. Frank looks at this case as a way to redeem himself after so many failures. His life and his work are in shambles thanks to his own self-destructive behavior. He has an opportunity to take the easy way out and accept a check for $210,000, a third of which is his to keep, but he made the mistake of visiting the comatose victim in the hospital first and cannot bring himself to accept the payout. This case is more about making the doctor accept his guilt for the mistake, as well as covering it up, than it is about the money. Paul Newman has never looked so old before and that age and weariness play into the character of Frank Galvin well in a way that is new for the usually spry actor. Had Newman been simply playing his usual character it wouldn’t be as effective for this part. This is a world weary character that is hung over and beaten down, but hasn’t quite lost his humanity just yet and having Newman look so old and haggard really helps sell that.
The supporting cast are all fine here, even considering most are British or Irish playing Bostonians. It’s done well as none are trying to affect a phony accent that would spoil the subterfuge. But when all is said and done this is a Paul Newman picture and it is his performance that stands out and merits rewatching to really latch onto the nuances of what he is trying to do here. He is the one that is selling the raw frustrations of a lawyer in over his head who spends a good portion of the film wondering if he made the wrong decision by not accepting the settlement in the first place. When he gets up to give his closing arguments he knows he has lost, yet summons up his strength and resolve to make a plea to the jurors, one that he hopes will sway them, against all odds, to hold the doctors accountable. This is not a fantasy; Frank does not magically lose his addictions. In the final scene he is still there with a drink in his hand but that drink tastes as bitter in victory as it would in defeat.
Academy Award Nominations:
Best Picture: David Brown and Richard D. Zanuck
Best Director: Sidney Lumet
Best Actor: Paul Newman
Best Supporting Actor: James Mason
Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium: David Mamet
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Release Date: December 8, 1982
Running Time: 129 Minutes
Rated R
Starring: Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, James Mason, Milo O’Shea
Directed By: Sidney Lumet
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