The Incident (1990) (TV)

Director:

Joseph Sargent

Writers (WGA):

Michael Norell (written by) &
James Norell (written by)

Release Date:

4 March 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Small town lawyer, Harmon Cobb, defends a Nazi prisoner of war against murder charges. Set during World War II...

Plot Keywords:

WWII

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Walter Matthau	...	Harmon Cobb
Susan Blakely	...	Billie
Robert Carradine	...	Domsczek
Peter Firth	...	Geiger
Barnard Hughes	...	Doc Hansen
Harry Morgan	...	Judge Bell
William Schallert	...	Wallace
Ariana Richards	...	Nancy
Norbert Weisser	...	Riefenstahl
Douglas Rowe	...	Clarence
Joe Horváth	...	Major Lilly (as Joe Horvath)
Helen Stenborg	...	Edna Mae Hansen
Henry Crowell Jr.	...	Corporal Sweazy
David Underwood	...	Lieutenant Morton
Robert MacKenzie	...	Sergeant Osias (as Robert Mckenzie)

Also Known As:

Incident at Lincoln Bluff (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Carnegie Mellon University - 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Qintex Entertainment

Movie Connections:

Followed by Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore (1992) (TV)

Far-Fetched, But A Good Mystery

As always, I was impressed by Walter Matthau's performance in this movie. Matthau played Harmon Cobb, a small town lawyer during the Second World War who is assigned to defend a German prisoner of war (Peter Firth) accused of murdering the local town doctor (Barnard Hughes.) The case seems open and shut, and Cobb's basic role - as he is clearly told by the presiding judge (Harry Morgan) - isn't to mount a serious defense; it's merely to make the process look good. (In fact, the judge makes it clear that he assigned Cobb because he believed Cobb to be incompetent.)

Cobb has to deal with the antipathy of the townsfolk, who are convinced of Geiger's guilt, as well as his own anti-German feelings (as a World War I vet, and especially after he receives news that his son was killed in Europe.) But he ultimately settles into the role he's been given, and gradually uncovers an unsavoury cover-up taking place at the POW camp with the full knowledge of its commander (Joe Horvath.)

This is a surprisingly good story that does keep the viewer guessing most of the way through. Ultimately, I found it to be a little too far fetched to really be believable (which knocked it down a couple of notches in my estimation) but it was still a pretty good who-dun-it sort of mystery.

7/10