The Trial (2010)

After the horrific death of his wife and two sons, suicide seems to be the only escape for a small town attorney, until he's assigned a capital punishment case that begins to transform his life.

Director:

Gary Wheeler

Writers:

Mark Freiburger (original screenplay by), Gary Wheeler (original screenplay by)

Stars:

Larry Bagby, Clare Carey, Nikki Deloach

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Larry Bagby	...	Spencer Hightower
Clare Carey	...	Dr. Anna Wilkes
Nikki Deloach	...	Mindy
David Dwyer	...	Alex Hightower
R. Keith Harris	...	Lt. Monroe
Bob Gunton	...	Joe Whetstone
Rance Howard	...	Judge Danielson
Rebekah James	...	Kathy Buechler
Ted Johnson	...	Bank Manager
Andrew R. Kaplan	...	Assistant District Attorney (as Andrew Kaplan)
Brian Lafontaine	...	Dr. Eastman
Reid McGraw	...	Skitch McGee
Chandler McIntyre	...	Sandy
Gary Ray Moore	...	Car Salesman (as Gary Moore)
Zachary T. Robbins	...	Hunter Wilkes (as Zach Robbins)

Storyline

After the horrific death of his wife and two sons, suicide seems to be the only escape for small-town attorney Kent "Mac" McClain... until he's assigned a capital punishment case that begins to transform his life and those around him forever.

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Plot Keywords:

country lawyer | county judge | north carolina | roofies | courthouse | 

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Taglines:

A Lawyer Ready To Die Takes One Final Case: THE TRIAL OF HIS LIFE.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some thematic material and a disturbing image

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on a novel by Robert Whitlow.

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Goofs

At about the 50-minute mark, Mindy (Nikki Deloach) is standing in front of the poster board in the law office. The label for the surveillance photos is misspelled, "SURVELLIENCE."

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Quotes

Mac: When we entered the courtroom this morning, the clock began ticking on an experience that none of us will ever forget.

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Soundtracks

Big Legged Woman
Written and Performed by Coffey Anderson
Courtesy of Babee Savannah Publishing (ascap)

User Reviews

'Thank God I Was Spared'

If one sees The Trial on DVD or on a television broadcast, hasten to assure yourselves you will not be seeing the Orson Welles film The Trial or a remake thereof. If you see it stars Matthew Modine than make sure you catch it.

The film opens with Modine who has been unable to come to grips with the death of his wife and children ready to blow the top of his head off with a revolver. As he's ready to do the deed, a phone call comes.

It's from Judge Rance Howard who wants to get Modine back in the among the living and in the practice of his profession. He appoints him the defense attorney of young Randy Wayne who is accused of the murder of his sweetheart, the daughter of a prominent family in the area. He plied her with 'roofies' to loosen her inhibitions and he's taken them himself. When he came down he finds himself with her dead body and no memory of the crime at all.

He gets all his courtroom skills back, it's like riding a bicycle, once learned it all comes back. But this is a tough case and he needs the assistance of psychologist Claire Carey, research assistant Nikki Deloach and most of all Robert Forster his late wife's brother for some heavy muscle and a bit of detective work. The answer is quite a bit more involved than a case of 'roofies' gone bad.

Modine who also produced this gives a carefully delineated performance of a lawyer being brought back to life in his profession and every day living. In the end he has reason to thank the Deity for being spared in the tragedy that overtook his family.

The Trial has the look and feel of a television pilot and I'm sure Matthew Modine is trying to sell it to one of the networks. I do hope he succeeds.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 September 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Robert Whitlow's The Trial

Filming Locations:

Historic Union County Courthouse, Monroe, Union County, North Carolina, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,957, 12 September 2010

Gross USA:

$19,753

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$19,753

Company Credits

Production Co:

Level Path Productions, Whitlow Films, Trial Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1