Der Strafverteidiger

"The Lawyer" is an entertaining, if unspectacular courtroom drama featuring the sterling acting talents of Barry Newman ("The Limey", "Bowfinger") and Diana Muldaur ("L.A. Law", "Star Trek: The Next Generation") amongst others. In short, it is about a New York lawyer who ups-sticks to the country, and a murder case he handles in his new environment. As I said, it's nothing special, but surprisingly involving nonetheless. Essentially it plays like a high quality TV movie, so it's no surprise that a spin-off TV series, "Petrocelli", followed. It's worth watching if you have a spare couple of hours, and fans of the show will be interested to see the formative incarnation of Petrocelli. Assured helming, incidentally, comes from Sidney J. Furie - director of one of the best Cold War Spy films ever, "The Ipcress File". "The Lawyer" will make no-one's All Time Top Ten list, I can assure you, but there are many many worse films out there. In a word: Interesting.

(7/10)

Likable, if not terribly engrossing, courtroom drama in which Barry Newman originated his trademark role of opportunistic lawyer Tony Petrocelli (reprised in a subsequent TV series). Generally well-handled by director Furie but the murder sequence, re-enacted in three different ways during the course of the trial, seems unnecessarily flashy. A smart script and a lively music score ensure that the film be an eminently watchable one.

It seems more of a pity that director Furie, who started out strongly with films like this one and THE IPCRESS FILE (1965) would later end up helming third-grade action fare like the IRON EAGLE films or misbegotten would-be blockbusters like SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE (1987)...

The Lawyer was Barry Newman's best acted role. Yet, as outstanding as Newman was, the show-stealer was blond bombshell Mary Wilcox as the slutty wife of a doctor accused of her savage murder.

Based on the famous Sam Shepperd murder case, the movie is well-acted, moves at a quick pace, and has enough twists and turns to make this one of the best courtroom dramas every made.

However, the sexy Mary Wilcox, in nothing more than a small supporting role, is the actress to remember long after the film is over. 100% all-natural, Wilcox had one of the most impressive bodies in screen history. Tall, tan, with long-shapely legs, and beautiful melon-shaped breasts, Wilcox's nude scene is one of the sexiest filmed. Of course it's spoiled by her on-screen murder. Why this beauty never achieved stardom is beyond me. She appeared a few years later in the Tony Curtis film Lepke, in a brief scene wearing a see-through night-gown and she looked as sexy as ever.

The Lawyer is great, but Mary Wilcox was greater.

I remember seeing this in 1970 in the theater. I wish it would be released on DVD. What I remember about it was that a doctor was being charged with the murder of his wife. The Lawyer never had anything to do with defending an accused murderer. This was his first such case but no one could have asked for a better defense. He basically created doubt in the jurors minds by demonstrating during the trial that not only did others have a motive for killing the doctor's wife but they could just as well have done it. While the defense presented in the movie may not hold up in a modern setting - in 1970 before DNA evidence was possible this defense was most effective. I remember a bit more but enough said ... Hope this comes out on DVD.

The 1970 movie, The Lawyer starring cult-favorite Barry Newman is a forgotten gem. Based on the real-life Dr. Sam Sheppard murder trail, Newman plays an F.Lee Bailey type lawyer hired to defend a medical doctor convicted of murdering his beautiful wife. The wife is played by blond-bombshell Mary Wilcox. Ms.Wilcox is out-standing as the sexy-flirty spouse who winds up beaten to death by a blunt object. Her nude scene in which she lays in bed with her shirt lifted above her breasts is one of the sexiest in film-history. It's really amazing that this beautiful and talented actress never achieved stardom and was reduced to bit parts in numerous films and t.v. shows. This also rates as Barry Newman's best role, and as in the case of Ms. Wilcox, it's a shame that he never really achieved the fame he so richly deserved.