And Justice for All (1979)

A lawyer is forced to defend a guilty judge, while defending other innocent clients, and trying to find punishment for the guilty and provide justice for the innocent.

Director:

Norman Jewison

Writers:

Valerie Curtin, Barry Levinson

Stars:

Al Pacino, Jack Warden, John Forsythe

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Al Pacino	...	Arthur Kirkland
Jack Warden	...	Judge Francis Rayford
John Forsythe	...	Judge Henry T. Fleming
Lee Strasberg	...	Grandpa Sam
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Jay Porter
Christine Lahti	...	Gail Packer
Sam Levene	...	Arnie
Robert Christian	...	Ralph Agee
Thomas G. Waites	...	Jeff McCullaugh (as Thomas Waites)
Larry Bryggman	...	Warren Fresnell
Craig T. Nelson	...	Frank Bowers
Dominic Chianese	...	Carl Travers
Victor Arnold	...	Leo Fauci
Vincent Beck	...	Officer Leary
Michael Gorrin	...	Elderly Man

Storyline

When a judge is charged with rape, Arthur Kirkland is forced to defend him. Kirkland has had problems with the judge in the past, including one incident when the judge wrongly sentenced his client Jeff McCullaugh because of a technicality. Kirkland faces a moral and legal dilemma.

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Plot Keywords:

court | rape | corruption | judge | attorney | 

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Taglines:

This man needs the best lawyer in town. But the problem is...HE'S the best lawyer in town.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Jay shows off his new appearance it is very shocking. While a young or middle-aged man with a shaved head may be a common sight for modern audiences, in the 1970s it was unheard of, so the impact was quite shocking.

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Goofs

Kirkland and the Judge converse quite easily in the cabin of helicopter - difficult enough unless shouting more or less directly into each others' ears, impossible when one party is wearing a full coverage noise canceling headset.

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Quotes

Carl Travers: Well, who says you gotta be sane to practice law?.

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Connections

Spoofed in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Agent for H.A.R.M. (1997)

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Soundtracks

Something Funny Goin' On
Music by Dave Grusin
Lyrics by Alan Bergman & Marilyn Bergman
Sung by Zachary Sanders (as Zack Sanders) and the N.Y. Jailhouse Ensemble

User Reviews

`Catch-22' inside a courtroom

I liked And Justice for All. I found it very entertaining and absorbing. In its satiric way, the movie is full of rich characters and plausible situations even if sometimes you can spot the cliché around the corner. Sometimes satire works as a magnifying glass to expose and better criticize something. And I believe that's what happens in this movie with all those bizarre scenes and deranged characters.

Even though Jewison focuses problems such as corruption, criticizes the danger of powerful people in the wrong places and brings up moral dilemmas about the practice of law, I believe And Justice for All is more of a satire than a serious alert to a possible decadence of the judicial system. The odd elements in the plot are one too many to see the movie strictly from its dramatic point of view: a cross-dresser client, an evidence-eating defendant, a suicidal judge, a hysterical lawyer.

In a certain way, the message of this movie reminded me the one of Mike Nichols anti-war comedy Catch-22: in order to cope with a crazy situation you have to become a little crazy. In a war scenario people fight for values like justice and order, but they also fight for power and interests; the same thing happens inside a courtroom. Some lawyers see Law as a business, some see it as a way to promote their personal careers and some see it as the opportunity given to those who have nothing else to lose.

The performances are just great, specially the ones of Jack Warden and Jeffrey Tambor. Al Pacino unquestionably steals the movie with another over-the-top performance as the lawyer willing to risk everything and delivers another memorable speech during his `opening statement'.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 October 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

...And Justice for All

Filming Locations:

Culver City Studios, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$33,300,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$33,300,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1