The Verdict: A Quick Review

"The Verdict," released in 1982, was directed by Sidney Lumet.  It stars Paul Newman and was nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay.  Of course "Ghandi" was also released in 1982 and proceeded to dominate the Academy Awards, so "The Verdict" got nothing.  "The Verdict" was a great movie directed by one of my favorite directors.  Paul Newman gives a fantastic performance and is the main reason why the film is so good.  He's one of the greatest American actors...a fact and not merely my opinion.  Paul Newman plays Frank Galvin.  He's a lawyer who used to have a future, but that all changed when he became an alcoholic and only got four cases in the last three years...all of which he lost.  Frank takes on a malpractice case (a woman is in a coma because she was given the wrong anesthetic) and is determined to win.  The character of Frank Galvin is pretty complex and requires a person who is capable of getting deep into a character.  Sidney Lumet found the right person and we got a classic out of it.  The film also visually looks fantastic with a nice variety of shots and generally just good composition for the movie.  Music is important in movies and that aspect of the film was also a success.  The rest of the cast were great as well - I just decided to only focus on Paul Newman.  "The Verdict" is a great courtroom drama...one of my favorite genres, which also could be why I enjoyed it so much.  It's yet more proof that Sidney Lumet is a great director.  Every aspect of it was extremely well done and I would highly recommend it.  


-Joseph Sbrilli