A cynical former civil liberties attorney now reduced to "specializing" in defending drug dealers becomes transformed by an eight-year-old murder case.
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Title: True Believer (1989)
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1 win & 1 nomination.
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| James Woods | ... | Eddie Dodd | |
| Robert Downey Jr. | ... | Roger Baron | |
| Margaret Colin | ... | Kitty Greer | |
| Yuji Okumoto | ... | Shu Kai Kim | |
| Kurtwood Smith | ... | Robert Reynard | |
| Tom Bower | ... | Cecil Skell | |
| Miguel Fernandes | ... | Art Esparza | |
| Charles Hallahan | ... | Vincent Dennehy | |
 |
Sully Diaz | ... | Maraquilla Esparza |
|
|
Misan Kim | ... | Mrs. Kim |
| John Snyder | ... | Chuckie Loeder | |
| Luis Guzmán | ... | Ortega (as Luis Guzman) | |
| Graham Beckel | ... | Sklaroff | |
|
|
Tony Haney | ... | Montell |
| Joel Polis | ... | Dean Rabin | |
Edit
Plot Summary
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Add Synopsis
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Storyline
Eddie Dodd is a burnt out former civil rights lawyer who now specializes in defending drug dealers. Roger Baron, newly graduated from law school, has followed Eddie's great cases and now wants to learn at his feet. With Roger's idealistic prodding, Eddie reluctantly takes on a case of a young Korean man who, according to his mom, has been in jail for eight years for a murder he did not commit. Written by <Vertigus@aol.com>
Plot Keywords:
lawyer | reference to the black panthers | defense lawyer | prison gang | neo noir |Taglines:
When evidence leads to murder, sometimes it takes a dangerous man to free an innocent one. See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
17 February 1989 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Das dreckige Spiel See more »Edit
Box Office
Opening Weekend USA:
$3,009,692, 20 February 1989Gross USA:
$8,742,750Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$8,742,750Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
DolbyColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Roger Baron: Christ, Eddie, if the guy's really guilty...
Eddie Dodd: Hey, only Shu and God know if he's guilty, and neither one of 'em's talkin'.
See more »
(1779) (uncredited)
Written by John Newton
Sung during prisoner chapel service
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Although much is made of Shu Kai Kim's supposedly distinctly Korean facial features, he was played by Yuji Okumoto, a Japanese-American actor. See more »Goofs
When showing the original murder in flashbacks, the killer is standing five feet or more away from the body when he shoots him. When Dennehy tells Dodd and the flashback is shown beneath the bridge, the gun is aimed only a few inches from the previous bullet hole. A gun fired that close would leave burn marks and gunpowder residue on the victim's head, which would be incongruous with the eyewitness accounts of the actual murder. See more »Quotes
Eddie Dodd: We gotta find some piece of evidence that's been buried, and open the sucker up again.Roger Baron: Christ, Eddie, if the guy's really guilty...
Eddie Dodd: Hey, only Shu and God know if he's guilty, and neither one of 'em's talkin'.
See more »
Connections
Referenced in Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau (2014) See more »Soundtracks
Amazing Grace(1779) (uncredited)
Written by John Newton
Sung during prisoner chapel service
See more »
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As a huge fan of Robert Downey, Jr. I anticipated this film for weeks when I heard it was on television. So, last Saturday night I turned on the TV and, I wasn't sorry.
James Woods is in a great performance as Edward Dunn, a hotshot attorney who hires Roger Baron (Robert Downey, Jr.) to clerk for him. Woods defends a Korean whom's mother believes that he's been wrongly accused. But all the facts points to the Korean (Yuji Okumodo)...
As I said, Woods is in a great performance, which unfortunately could have been much better had it not been for his wiggy hairdo. Downey is excellent, and you can actually feel his character's anticipation. You can also feel the coldness and bitterness of Okumodo's character. Kurtwood Smith is very interesting as Robert Reynard, and the rest of the cast are also in intruiging performances.
The film is at some points very hard to follow, but overall this film could well be one of the best crime dramas of the late 1980's.