Physical Evidence (1989)

A police officer suspended and now accused of murder is forced to join forces with his court-appointed attorney to assemble the pieces of a deadly puzzle to find the missing link before time runs out.

Director:

Michael Crichton

Writers:

Steve Ransohoff (story), Bill Phillips (story)

Stars:

Burt Reynolds, Theresa Russell, Ned Beatty

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Burt Reynolds	...	Joe Paris
Theresa Russell	...	Jenny Hudson
Ned Beatty	...	James Nicks
Kay Lenz	...	Deborah Quinn
Ted McGinley	...	Kyle
Tom O'Brien	...	Matt Farley
Kenneth Welsh	...	Harry Norton
Ray Baker	...	Strickler
Ken James	...	Hank Carruth
Michael P. Moran	...	Tony Reugger
Angelo Rizacos	...	Tony Sklar
Lamar Jackson	...	Delmar Fraser
Paul Hubbard	...	Burt Knight
Larry Reynolds	...	Trial Judge
Peter MacNeill	...	Brannigan

Storyline

Extortionist Jake Farley is found strangled, and the clues lead directly to former detective Joe Paris, who insists on his innocence but can't provide an alibi. Public defendant Jenny Hudson gets the case, but has problems unravelling the case, complicated by the fact that virtually everyone hated Farley, and Paris has a few enemies as well. She rejects the prosecution's offers to plea bargain, but meanwhile the witnesses she finds are discredited or silenced, and an unidentified patrol car shadows Paris and Hudson wherever they go.

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Plot Keywords:

murder of a police officer | shooting a police officer | shot in the chest | cohabitation | bare chested male | 

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Taglines:

A suspect. His lawyer. Between the evidence and the passion lies innocence or guilt.

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cast member Ned Beatty, [prior to W.Germany Premiere], attended the most densely packed (UK non-Award), celebrity event 'Save the Rose Theatre' campaigns, public PR day, May 1989. Where he openly discussed his film characters & pending projects to both press and tourists.

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Goofs

(at around 1h 27 mins) It is night when the cop brings food to the cruiser. But, seconds later it is clearly daytime.

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Quotes

Joe Paris: [to Nicks and his police escort about Kyle] I think his jock strap is moldy. You wanna look into that?

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Physical Evidence/Parents/Gone with the Wind (50th Anniversary)/The Dressmaker (1989)

User Reviews

Poor Burt in another dud

I got a kick out of Reynolds saying to his attorney, "look,I've done a lot of shi%ty thing in my life, but I never killed anyone." Obviously he forgot about his career which slid down hill after he started making stupid movies like 'Cannonball Run.' Physical Evidence was originally supposed to be a sequel to 'The Jagged Edge' that Glen Close sanely rejected. The verdict is in, avoid Physical Evidence.

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 January 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Az igazság törvénye

Filming Locations:

Tobin Bridge, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,777,358, 29 January 1989

Gross USA:

$3,560,932

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,560,932

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, The Rank Organisation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1