Best of the Best

"The Verdict" is Paul Newman's best movie and David Mamet's best screenplay. I never get tired of watching this film.

My Favorite Newman Role -- Hands Down!
It's an awesome experience watching Paul Newman play the role of down-and-almost-out attorney Frank Galvin in The Verdict; not to mention James Mason, Jack Warden, and Charlotte Rampling; all given "classic" understated direction by Sidney Lumet. As has been pointed out by another reviewer here, what lets the film down a bit and keeps it from being a legal drama for the ages is that this great performance is draped in a script which shamelessly flaunts nearly every cliché imaginable -- like that spaghetti sauce, it's all in there! It's a credit to Newman and the other principals that The Verdict is as gripping and memorable as it is -- a triumph of character, resonance, and dramatic texture over mere plot. It's like hearing Furtwängler conducting Beethoven's Ninth -- you might have heard the work dozens of times before, but not like this!

Best of Newman and full of memorable lines
I've loved Newman, especially as he's taken on older character roles - Nobody's Fool of course stands out - but this is where the great 3rd act of his career started. The first two acts, hot bod Newman of the H-films, and buddy Newman of Butch Cassidy and the Sting, have their charms, but here he's all grown up, having to decide if he's going to keep being a youngster, or finally sholder responsibility.

However, what I espeically love of this film are its many memorable scenes and lines. They pile up fast. "This is the case - there is no other case." "You wanted to come back to the world. Well, welcome back." Of course, when he decks Charlotte Rampling in a bar, he says nothing, but his face speaks volumes. Finally, my favorite, by Milo O'Shea, as he closes the door on Newman's plea for more time - "I have no sympathy for you."

All must be seen in context to judge their impact. So do that, buy the film, and judge for yourself.

An all time favorite.

An acting lesson from from Paul Newman puts this one over
"The Verdict" is a powerful film about a down-and-out lawyer - played by Paul Newman - who has a last chance to redeem himself in a medical negligence case. David Mamet's script has enough holes in it to drive a bulldozer through but a superlative performance by Newman and equally great direction from Sidney Lumet put this one over.

An Astonishing Treasure
I originally saw The Verdict when it was first released theatrically, but I had forgotten how wonderful this film is until I ordered the Two-Disc Collector's Edition. The Verdict captures perhaps the best performance of Paul Newman's storied career, plus a memorable appearance by film legend James Mason as his ably evil legal adversary. The Verdict is much more than a courtroom drama: it is the timeless tale of a character who realizes that he has only one shot left at redemption. Every moment in this film is worth revisiting, and I will eagerly be viewing Disk 2 to gain more understanding about how this masterwork came to be created.