I, the Jury (1982)

An old friend of a private detective is murdered. The detective, Mike Hammer, will make every effort to find out the killer. At each step he does, there is someone taking advantage of his ... See full summary »

Director:

Richard T. Heffron

Writers:

Mickey Spillane (novel), Larry Cohen (screenplay)

Stars:

Armand Assante, Barbara Carrera, Laurene Landon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Armand Assante	...	Mike Hammer
Barbara Carrera	...	Dr. Charlotte Bennett
Laurene Landon	...	Velda
Alan King	...	Charles Kalecki
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Joe Butler
Paul Sorvino	...	Detective Pat Chambers
Judson Scott	...	Charles Kendricks
Barry Snider	...	Romero
Julia Barr	...	Norma Childs
Jessica James	...	Hilda Kendricks
Frederic Downs	...	Jack Williams
Mary Margaret Amato	...	Myrna Williams
F.J. O'Neil	...	Goodwin
William G. Schilling	...	Lundee (as William Schilling)
Robert Sevra	...	Breslin

Storyline

An old friend of a private detective is murdered. The detective, Mike Hammer, will make every effort to find out the killer. At each step he does, there is someone taking advantage of his progress.

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Plot Keywords:

femme fatale | neo noir | detective | mike hammer | private detective | 

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Taglines:

The cops, the mob, the broads, everyone's after Hammer!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 April 1982 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Ich, der Richter

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Cinema Productions, Larco Productions, Pellepont

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Movielab) Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Publicity for this picture in "Coming Attractions" magazine stated: "When 'I, the Jury' was first published, the forties version of the Moral Majority pounced, attacking it as 'gory' and 'filthy'. But that hasn't deterred the novel's 7.5 million readers or the 150 million readers of [Mickey] Spillane's many sequels".

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Goofs

When Hammer shoots the truck driver from behind and the truck starts swirling over the road, you can see the 'dead' driver turning the steering wheel vigorously.

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Quotes

Mike Hammer: Are you two alike in every way?
2nd Twin: Not exactly. I have a strawberry birthmark.
Mike Hammer: Really? Where?
2nd Twin: Oh, I can't see it. I have to go on other people's word.

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Connections

Version of I, the Jury (1953)

User Reviews

Armand Assante looks high and low for his army buddy's killer

The first version of "I, the Jury" (1953) was a noir. "I, the Jury" (1982) is not a neo-noir. It is an action film built around a detective hero, combined with a large dose of CIA hanky-panky and a killer who is a pawn of the CIA. The action scenes are very well-directed and satisfying. The plot is fairly complex and somewhat murky as to details. This is more than compensated for by a high number of sharp lines, story ideas and novel situations. Assante is determined to find his friend's killer, no matter what. He's unafraid. He usually finds some clever way or approach to make headway in every situation. His secretary (Laurene Landon) is tough and smart. He's helped, up to a point, by policeman Paul Sorvino. A key player is the woman who runs the CIA's false clinic, and that's Barbara Carrera, later to be a Bond girl and warming up for it here at a high temperature. One should not expect a movie to be faithful to a book or its characters, and movies made from Mickey Spillane's books have always proved this. This one is no exception, so one cannot expect to see Mike Hammer brought to life as in the books. Certainly, Assante would not be cast in the part if that were the objective. What he brings to the movie is confidence, swagger, an ability not to be taken in, cleverness, solid anger at times, and humor at other times. Geoffrey Lewis provides his usual excellent support, but in one sequence only. There is female nudity too. Who's complaining?

Overall, I enjoyed this film.