...And Justice for All

Here's a film that's hard to place in a genre. It's not funny enough to be a comedy, but it never stays serious enough to be a drama. Case in point: the ending. It was dramatic up until the freeze frame (which was like the best freeze frame of Pacino in history). But it's constantly entertaining thanks to Pacino, who carries the film effortlessly.

Ah, Al Pacino. Dude could fuckin' act, and he carries this. This has some of the very best scenes of his career, and not only the opening statement at the end. He acts with frenzied passion, giving a no-holds-barred performance that is absolutely enthralling. Other than that, what really stood out to me was the script. The movie plays out as sort of a series of skits designed to highlight minor corruptions that add up; the central story isn't even given that much screentime.

I'm not out of order! You're out of order. The whole freaking system is out of order. You want the truth? You want the truth?! You can't handle the truth! 'Cause when you reach over and put your hand into a pile of goo that was your best friend's face, you'll know what to do! Forget it, Marge, it's Chinatown,"

The movie gets in Al Pacino's backpack and he carries it. It's not really the legal drama I originally perceived it to be. The legal equivalent of Network is a great way to describe it. Pacino's final speech is riveting.

Spectacular. Levinson's script, Jewison's directing and Pacino's acting all just wowed me! This is a bit like a judicial version of Serpico, but with humor... and very over-the-top -- in fact, the only way to make this better would be to get rid of some of those overly dramatic side-plots. Other than those several gratuitous climaxes along the way, this is a great movie.