Just Cause (1995)

A Harvard professor is lured back into the courtroom after twenty-five years to take the case of a young black man condemned to death for the horrific murder of a child.

Director:

Arne Glimcher

Writers:

John Katzenbach (novel), Jeb Stuart (screenplay)

Stars:

Sean Connery, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Capshaw

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Connery	...	Paul Armstrong
Laurence Fishburne	...	Sheriff Tanny Brown
Kate Capshaw	...	Laurie Prentiss Armstrong
Blair Underwood	...	Bobby Earl
Ed Harris	...	Blair Sullivan
Christopher Murray	...	Detective T.J. Wilcox
Ruby Dee	...	Evangeline
Scarlett Johansson	...	Katie Armstrong
Daniel J. Travanti	...	Warden
Ned Beatty	...	McNair
Liz Torres	...	Delores Rodriguez
Lynne Thigpen	...	Ida Conklin
Taral Hicks	...	Lena Brown
Victor Slezak	...	Sgt. Rogers
Kevin McCarthy	...	Phil Prentiss

Storyline

Bobby Earl (Blair Underwood) is facing the electric chair for the murder of a young girl. Eight years after the crime, he calls in Paul Armstrong (Sir Sean Connery), a professor of law, to help prove his innocence. Armstrong quickly uncovers some overlooked evidence to present to the local police, but they aren't interested, Bobby was their killer.

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Plot Keywords:

child gagged | murder | florida | prison interview | african american | 

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Taglines:

Buried deep in the Florida Everglades is a secret that can save an innocent man or let a killer kill again.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

14A

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sir Sean Connery turned down the role of King Edward I in Braveheart (1995) in order to make this movie.

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Goofs

When Paul Armstrong goes to Tanny Brown's house and learns that the murdered girl was actually a friend of Brown's daughter, Tanny Brown comes home and angrily says, "I ought to have you locked up." However, his mouth is not moving at all when we hear the words.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Bobby Earl: Hey, you want my money, you best start throwing some elbow into that, boy. A dollar fifty, that's two bits shy of a car wash.
Kid Washing Car #1: A dollar fifty *each*.
Bobby Earl: Oh man, now you must got me confused with some other idiot.

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Connections

Referenced in Seven (1996)

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Soundtracks

I Only Have Eyes for You
Music by Harry Warren
Lyrics by Al Dubin
Performed by André Previn, Joe Pass and Ray Brown
Played while Paul is dancing with Laurie

User Reviews

Just OK

This movie started out as an apparently good movie, but about halfway through it started to go to hell. The only mildly good thing about the latter half of the movie was Sean Connery, who pretty much shines through the entire movie. His acting was pretty good, and could have been a saving grace, had the movie not been so bad. The end was especially horrible, as it was a nearly total ripoff of Cape Fear(the new version, with Robert De Niro), in fact, several lines were taken directly from that same scene in the movie. The second-to worst thing is the 'twist' in the end, that was so obvious that I could just as well have been sitting there, waiting for it to happen. The worst thing is that the twist ruins everything that has happened up to that point, and makes the whole movie pointless since it directly opposes nearly everything that happened in the movie before that. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone other than huge fans of Sean Connery, or people who love to watch crime mysteries. Other than that, there is no reason to waste time on this movie. 6/10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 February 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Scorpion noir

Filming Locations:

Collier County, Florida, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,607,932, 20 February 1995

Gross USA:

$36,853,222

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$36,853,222

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Fountainbridge Films, Lee Rich Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1