In Her Defense (1999) User Reviews

Surprise

[HighlanderArg · 6/10 · 25 January 2005]

Andrew is a lawyer. One day, his partner (a nice-looking woman) takes him to an art exposition, where he meets Jane, a deaf woman who painted some of the stuff there. He also meets her violent husband. Soon, Jane calls in at his studio to ask him about the divorce. He goes to her house,while the husband's out, and the average for their meetings occur: sex.

During the second of these meetings, the husband calls in and Andrew, trying to defend himself, takes a gun from a shelf and shoots the husband. He throws the body to a river, but the police finds it and all the evidence points to Jane. He will defend her in the trial, but at what cost? After hearing loads about MArlee mAtlin, I finally saw a movie with her. She's rather good, rather pretty, and convincing in her role (yes, I did realize she's truly deaf). But the surprise is Michael Dudikoff here, in a sort of dramatic role. He's not as good as in the "Bounty Hunter" films but he is surprising as the lawyer. The rest of the cast is rather good too.

It is not a movie I would have rented, but after seeing it, it's worth it.

6/10

old story

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 5 February 2014]

"In Her Defense" from 1999 is a Canadian-made film starring Marlee Matlin and Michael Dudikoff.

Dudikoff is an attorney, Andrew Garfield, a former prosecutor now on the other side, who meets Jane Claire (Matlin) at an art show as he's admiring one of her paintings. She comes to his office a short time later seeking a divorce and asks if he can try and break her prenup. They wind up becoming lovers. Her husband comes home early one day; a fight ensues, and Garfield shoots him.

Jane is a suspect and later arrested. Andrew has to defend her and somehow not implicate himself.

How many times is this story going to be remade? Answer -- I have no idea, but it keeps happening. I will give this one credit -- it has a surprise ending.

I have to say that I have never heard such loud, dramatic, intrusive music in my life. I thought I was watching Ben-Hur.

The stars are very attractive and do well. You can see the ending coming from a mile away, except it doesn't end as you expect. So I'd recommend it for that.

It's Been Done Before

[logshrike · 5/10 · 4 July 2001]

Just saw this movie today for the first time. Although the plot was plausible in most cases, I was simply amazed (and disappointed) at how similar this movie was to Body Heat. In the opening sequence (and at several points later in the movie), you can even hear the same music score that was used in Body Heat. Had this movie been slightly more original in its plot and musical score, it may have risen above the long list of average film noir movies.

Pretty good, amazing ending

[vchimpanzee · 14 December 2004]

In Saint John, New Brunswick, Andrew meets Jane in a museum in front of a painting she did. Jane is deaf, but Andrew speaks just enough sign language to get himself in trouble. Fortunately, Jane is understanding and charming. Andrew is at the museum with Debra; both are lawyers who were working on the same case earlier in the movie. Jane is there with her abusive but rich husband Noby, who sells half the concrete in Canada and also has a trucking business.

Jane asks Andrew to work on getting out of a prenuptial agreement so she can divorce Noby--she would get more if he died. Andrew and Jane get quite close.

When Noby is killed, Jane is a suspect, and she asks Andrew to be her lawyer. Debra ends up working on the prosecution side.

This was a pretty good murder mystery. Nothing special, and we know who did it, but the investigation is interesting, with plenty of plot twists, including some truly remarkable ones at the end. Hint: watch for the girl popping balloons. That means something big is about to happen that will change everything.

Daniel Pilon gave the outstanding performance as the lead prosecutor, occasionally appearing in scenes we later find out occur after the conclusion of the trial, talking about what it takes to commit the perfect murder. Marlee Matlin was also quite good as Jane. And Robbie O'Neill made investigator Frank quite a character.

It wasn't the best murder mystery ever, but I enjoyed it.

Well made but nasty film about nasty people

[timothytitus-61783 · 3/10 · 2 November 2019]

I tend to like positive message films that, whatever goes on in the story, someone somewhere wins through and something good results. I thought the premise of the film sounded interesting and original, so decided to watch. The script, directing, photography, acting etc are all a reasonable standard, but by the end I had a distinctly bad taste in my mouth. Sorry if this is a plot spoiler, but nobody ends up the 'good guy'. All the characters turn out the to have petty selfish and immoral interests. There are also far more sex scenes than the story warrants; the director doesn't believe in the idea of 'pan away and leave the rest to the viewer's imagination'. I quickly had to find something more uplifting to watch.

It is what it is

[callanvass · 5/10 · 24 February 2014]

This is a different change of pace for Michael Dudikoff. I didn't expect much going into this one, it's a made for television movie, filmed in Canada. Was it any good? I wouldn't exactly call it good, but it passed the time in an OK way. The trouble with this movie, is there isn't anything in this movie that you haven't seen before. It's a highly derivative courtroom thriller that will deliver no surprises. There is some twists and turns, especially at the end, but you've seen it all before if you are knowledgeable about courtroom thrillers. Also, this one lacks suspense when the movie needs it the most. There were a few occasions where the film begins to meander, in lieu of building up tension like it should be doing. It does thrown in some rather tame eroticism. Dudikoff and Matlin have some rather tame sex and make-out sessions. None of the main characters are a true "Villain" I thought that was a unique touch. The acting isn't bad. Michael Dudikoff gives one of his best performances. I wouldn't say it was exceptional, but he had the right amount of intensity for the part. Marlee Matlin is very good in this movie. Her beauty knows no bounds and I thought she did great with her character. Overall, this is an average courtroom thriller. I'm not going to say it comes recommended, but if you are able to come across it on T.V, it kills the time.

5/10

Can a lawyer tell the truth?

[phbalanced · 7/10 · 17 March 2006]

A "chance meeting" between a wealthy and beautiful but deaf woman and a struggling single family lawyer leads to a torrid affair when the woman learns how much wealth she could accumulate should she leave her abusive husband. Drama and suspense film set in the beautiful province of New Brunswick, in east coast Canada with Michael Dudikoff, well known for his leading roles in action and martial arts films, playing the role of defense lawyer Andrew Garfield.

Refreshing change to see Dudikoff in this role and he plays it well, as a man in love with a mysterious woman, who is a suspect in the murder of her husband. Film is actually set in Canadian courts with references to the Crown, and the lawyers appear in black robes and white neck tabs, a setting which differs from the American courts. Small blooper in one scene approximately 30 minutes into the movie, a police van with a logo "New Brunswick Sheriff" appears at the scene of the crime. In Canada, I don't think there are sheriffs. Provincial and federal levels of crime enforcement including the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police).

Excellent tale of deception that questions a lawyer's ethics vs. his or her personal feelings.

A perfect murder can only be perfect if one overlooks the obvious

[sol-kay · 6/10 · 8 May 2008]

**SPOILERS** Canadian criminal lawyer Andrew Garfield, Michael Dudikoff, gets himself into hot water when he fell in love with sexy and hearing impaired artist Jane Claire, Marlee Matlin. Jane is being abused by her mob-up and jealous husband Noby Claire, Doug Sutheland, and she want's Andrew to handle a divorce case that she plans to file against him.

Andrew taking the case as well as striking up a hot affair with Jane has her husband Noby suspect that she's cheating on him and pay's Jane, as she's making out with Andrew, a surprise visit. In the struggle that followed Noby ends up getting blasted by Andrew with a 357 magnum that Jane kept at the couples, her and Noby, country cottage.

Even though it was self defense Andrew is in no position to be put on trial with him being caught with his pants down screwing around with another man's wife! The very man whom he ended up shooting! Covering up the killing Andrew and Jane dump Noby's body in the nearby lake and hide the murder weapon, the 357 magnum, in a safety deposit box registered to Andrew. It's then with Jane being the prime suspect in her husband's murder that she picks Andrew Garfield to defend her! The man responsible for her husband's death!

With Andrew knowing all the facts about Noby Claire's death in that he was he person who shot and killed him he had no trouble covering up in court Jean's involvement in it. Doing a masterful job Andrew, after getting an anonymous phone tip, actually sets up an innocent man Claud Martin, Eric Theriault, for Noby's murder knowing full well that Claud was completely innocent of the crime!

***SPOILER ALERT FROM THIS POINT ON*** It's when the presiding judge throws out all the charges against Jean Claire and she's found innocent Andrew starts to get second thoughts! Second thoughts about everything that happened to him since he first met Jane at an Art Show that she hosted at the New Bronswick Museum. Was that just a chance meeting or was Andrew set up to take the fall in Noby's murder! A murder that was planned far in advance in order for the person, or persons, who planned it to have time to cover up their involvement in it!

Complicated but very ambitious, for a made for TV movie, crime suspense drama with Michael Dudikoff dropping his usual macho image and playing a bewildered and confused defense attorney. Marlee Matlin does her usual lip reading, she in fact lost her hearing at the age of two, performance as the classy and beautiful Jean Claire. Marlee is both so personable and effective that even when she speaks, unable to fully annunciate her words, she comes across as being sexy.

It's Andrew's private detective Frank Rutton, Robbie O'Neil, who's working on the case who finds the real reasons for Noby Claires murder. It turned out to also be the reason why he was later gunned down and killed. Andrew in that he was at the scene and shot and killed Noby didn't realize that he, and possibly Jean, were set up right from the start with him being the designated fall-guy or pasty! A pasty who dug his own grave by going along with the scam thinking that he knows all the answers in Noby's death to cover himself. In reality Andrew was left completely in the dark by those who orchestrated the crime and set him up to eventually take the fall for it!