The Star Chamber (1983)

Director:

Peter Hyams

Writers:

Roderick Taylor (screenplay) and
Peter Hyams (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

5 August 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

THEY HAVE COMMITED EVERY CRIME IN THE BOOK. Yet the law cannot touch them. They are free to walk the streets. UNTIL TONIGHT'S MEETING OF... [THE STAR CHAMBER] [UK Theatrical]

Plot:

Disgusted with criminals escaping the judicial system via technicalities, an idealistic young judge...

Plot Keywords:

Hitman | Dead Children | 1980s | Child Murder | Vigilantism

Cast

Michael Douglas	...	Superior Court Judge Steven R. Hardin
Hal Holbrook	...	Judge Benjamin Caulfield
Yaphet Kotto	...	Det. Harry Lowes
Sharon Gless	...	Emily Hardin
James Sikking	...	Dr. Harold Lewin (as James B. Sikking)
Joe Regalbuto	...	Arthur Cooms
Don Calfa	...	Lawrence Monk
John DiSanti	...	Det. James Wickman
Otis Day	...	Stanley Flowers (as DeWayne Jessie)
Jack Kehoe	...	Hingle
Larry Hankin	...	Det. Kenneth Wiggan
Dick Anthony Williams	...	Det. Paul Mackey
Margie Impert	...	Louise Pacinni
Dana Gladstone	...	Dept. Dist. Atty. Martin Hyatt
David Proval	...	Officer Nelson
Robin Gammell	...	Judge Archer
Matthew Faison	...	Judge Stoner
Fred McCarren	...	Robert Karras
Michael Ensign	...	Judge Kirkland
Jason Bernard	...	Judge Bocho
Jerry Taft	...	Judge Fogelson
Michael Austin	...	Judge Lang (as Mike Austin)
Sheldon Feldner	...	Superior Court Judge James Culhane
James Margolin	...	Albert R. Beamer
Hexin E. McPhee	...	Marvin Dewson
Diana Douglas	...	Adrian Caulfield
Keith Buckley	...	Assassin
Domingo Ambriz	...	Hector Andujar
Frances Bergen	...	Mrs. Cummins
Charlie Stavola	...	Det. Sarkin
Robert Costanzo	...	Sgt. Spota
Paul Brennan	...	Gareth
Kate Zentall	...	Janet
George A. Cooper	...	State Sen. Walden (as George Cooper)
Gary Rebstock	...	Eyewitness News newscaster
David Faustino	...	Tony Hardin
Jason Tomarken	...	Max Hardin
George Dickerson	...	George Tillis
Eddy C. Dyer	...	Garbage man
John C. Garrett	...	Chuck Hurley (as John Garrett)
Danna Hyams	...	Caroline Stout
Alan Oliney	...	Ladd
Don Pulford	...	Bailiff
Ron Cummins	...	Man #1
Jack Slate	...	Man #2
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
George Lane Cooper	...	State Senator Walden (uncredited)
Charles Hallahan	...	Officer Pickett (uncredited)

Directed by
Peter Hyams

Writing credits
Roderick Taylor		(screenplay) and
Peter Hyams		(screenplay)
Roderick Taylor		(story)

Produced by
Kurt Neumann	....	associate producer
Frank Yablans	....	producer
Jonathan A. Zimbert	....	associate producer (as Jonathan Zimbert)

Original Music by
Michael Small

Cinematography by
Richard N. Hannah		(as Richard Hannah)

Film Editing by
James Mitchell

Casting by
Penny Perry

Production Design by
Bill Malley

Art Direction by
Bo Welch		(as Robert 'Bo' Welch)

Set Decoration by
Rick Simpson

Costume Design by
Patricia Norris

Makeup Department
Dorothea Long	....	hair stylist
Michael Westmore	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Kurt Neumann	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William S. Beasley	....	first assistant director
Duncan Henderson	....	second assistant director

Art Department
George Eckert	....	set designer
Jack Johnson	....	illustrator (as John C. Johnson Jr.)
Howard McCormick II	....	lead man (as Howard McCormick)
Everett Olson	....	construction coordinator
William James Teegarden	....	set designer (as William T. Teegarden)
Marty Wunderlich	....	property master

Sound Department
Ray Alba	....	sound editor
Max Bell	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Carolyn Colwell	....	assistant sound editor
Jerry Jost	....	sound mixer
Richard Overton	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bert Schoenfeld	....	sound editor
Theodore Soderberg	....	sound re-recording mixer
Paul Wells	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Henry Millar Jr.	....	special effects
Jay King	....	special effects technician (uncredited)

Stunts
Bobby Bass	....	stunts
Janet Brady	....	stunts
Jophery C. Brown	....	stunts (as Jophery Brown)
Jadie David	....	stunts
Eddy Donno	....	stunts
Kenny Endoso	....	stunts
Ken Fritz	....	stunts
Pat Green	....	stunts
James M. Halty	....	stunts (as Jimmy Halty)
Roy E. Harrison	....	stunts (as Roy F. Harrison)
Freddie Hice	....	stunts
Tommy J. Huff	....	stunts
Ann Pat Kelly	....	stunts
Frank Orsatti	....	stunts
Michael Runyard	....	stunts (as Mike Runyard)
Sharon Schaffer	....	stunts (as Sharon M. Schaffer)
Glenn R. Wilder	....	stunt coordinator
Glenn R. Wilder	....	stunts
Scott Wilder	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Larry Barbier	....	still photographer
John Baron	....	gaffer
Don E. FauntLeRoy	....	assistant camera (as Don E. Fauntleroy)
Ralph Gerling	....	camera operator
Alan Landaker	....	video coordinator (as Alan Landacker)
Hal Landaker	....	video coordinator (as Hal Landacker)
Tom May	....	key grip
John C. Moulds	....	first assistant camera

Casting Department
Annette Benson	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Nancy Martinelli	....	costumer: women
G. Tony Scarano	....	costumer: men (as Tony Scarano)

Editorial Department
Joanna Cappuccilli	....	assistant editor
Charles Tetoni	....	associate editor

Music Department
Jan Gershkoff	....	music editor
Jack Hayes	....	orchestrator
Armin Steiner	....	scoring mixer
Tommy Tedesco	....	musician: guitar (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Dean E. Mason	....	driver: cast
James Nordberg	....	driver

Other crew
John Franco	....	script supervisor
Claire Mactague	....	production coordinator
Vince Martinez	....	auditor
Lydia Telo	....	assistant auditor
Vince Trankina	....	set location assistant
Arthur Wilde	....	unit publicist
John R. Woodward	....	location assistant

Production Companies

• Frank Yablans Presentations
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1983) (USA) (theatrical)
• Oy Europa Vision AB (1984) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Oy Europa Vision AB (1989) (Finland) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1991) (Finland) (TV) (1998) (2003)
• Fox Video (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• FS Film Oy (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• CBS / Fox Video (1984) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Intrada  score album released by (limited edition)
• Pacific Title  titles

Also Known As:

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Germany:12 (re-rating) (2006) | West Germany:16 (original rating) | Netherlands:12 | Australia:M | Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Singapore:NC-16 | Portugal:M/16 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #26711)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Frank Yablans Presentations

Trivia:

The movie features footage of a baseball game being played between the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. The footage shows Dusty Baker hitting a home run off of Phil Niekro. Also, a clip can be seen of a scoreboard during the game showing the Braves leading 4-3. This places the date of the game at 7 June 1982.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Obvious stunt double when Michael Douglas' character is tumbling down the chute in Monk & Coombs' warehouse.

Quotes:

Judge Benjamin Caulfield:Someone has taken justice and hidden it in the law.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Caroline in the City: Caroline and the Ultimatum (#4.20)" (1999)

A Most Secret Society

The Star Chamber is a film that operates under the premise that the legal system has gone awry and it's up to the judges to apply corrective action to the decisions they officially make in court. Interestingly enough Hal Holbrook who came to that conclusion as Lieutenant Briggs in the Dirty Harry film Magnum Force, is now taking a similar position as a judge.

Michael Douglas as a young Superior Court Judge in Los Angeles has reached the same crossroads. After a couple of decisions on procedure that resulted in criminals being cut loose, he starts to question whether the whole criminal justice system is out of whack. That's when Hal Holbrook tells him about a most secret society.

A panel of nine judges have taken it upon themselves to overrule their own rulings. Douglas eagerly joins them, but certain things to go off course for him and he questions whether he's made the right career move.

The cases that Douglas came a cropper on is stuff straight out of the Law and Order episode file. In that series sometimes I think the judge's rulings are somewhat bizarre. Of course in that series it just makes Jack McCoy and his successor try all the harder to win.

It's a nice film, but I do get the feeling that Star Chamber is a Law and Order episode stretched out for a feature film.