Anklage: Mord - Im Namen der Wahrheit

I thought this film was fairly engrossing and intriguing, but was marred somewhat by contrivances and some non-believable plot elements.

Kate Beckinsale is quite captivating as Cate McCall, once a hot-shot and high priced attorney, but who has now been put on probation for alcohol and drug abuse. Part of her probation requires her to attend AA meetings, while another part calls for her to work pro bono for a Legal Aid type organization.

She's given the appeals case of a young woman convicted of first degree murder and serving a life without parole sentence. Cate soon begins to unravel evidence that may show that her client was framed and may indeed be innocent.

As the movie title suggests, Cate's trials are not all in the courtroom as she's struggling to gain sobriety from her addictions, as well as attempting to prevent her estranged husband from taking their young daughter to Seattle, for his new job. Additionally, a man she may have over zealously prosecuted, when she was with the DA's office years before, and who has recently be released from jail and declared innocent (after DNA testing), may be trying to stalk her.

The supporting cast is very strong here, with the great veteran actor Nick Nolte portraying Bridges, himself a defense attorney in recovery and helping Cate as her AA sponsor. Another terrific veteran actor James Cromwell plays Federal judge Jason Sumpter, whose bent for womanizing appears to be affecting his judicial decisions. Finally, Anna Anissimova is chilling and effective as Lacey Stubbs, the woman whose murder appeals' case is being handled by Cate.

I might mention there is no on screen showing of violence or sex here, but there is graphic and explicit testimony describing the above that is read during the movie.

Overall this film written and directed by Karen Moncrieff (The Dead Girl, Blue Car), as mentioned, was marred somewhat by nonsensical plot elements, but I still remained engaged throughout, and I would say it is worth a watch.

Kate is playing her character really great. And even Nick Nolte has more than one moment to shine (you feel the gravitas he's bringing to the movie). Other than that, the movie/plot may be predictable for some (maybe many), but it's the way it's played out that really works. Be it the characters with all their flaws and the story with its turns every now and again.

Being a lawyer can be pretending, it's also about winning, no matter what. If you backtrack on that, what would that mean. The justice system is not perfect and everything else might not matter anymore. Like personal life. The drama outside the courtroom is as suspenseful as the one unfolding inside of it.

"Even when people say terrible things you can't go with the evidence, you gotta go with your heart." Cate Mccall (Beckinsale) is a lawyer…or at least she was. She has fallen on hard times and is trying to get her life back together. In order to be reinstated to the bar and get her kid back she must complete a 12 step program and work on the appeal of a woman who is in prison for murder. What starts off as an easy case becomes more and more difficult with everything she uncovers. I was looking forward to watching this because I really love courtroom dramas. That said I liked this even more than I was expecting to. This is a movie that entirely sucks you in right away and you become deeply involved in Cate's life. You pull for her to get her daughter back and are upset when she takes a step back. The court case is also unbelievably interesting and keeps the movie that much more interesting. This is the kind of movie that gets you thinking one way and at the last minute throws you a twist that makes you look back at everything you saw and wonder if you missed something. I don't want to give anything away but I will say that the movie is hard to predict, which is what makes it so good. If you liked …And Justice For All you will love this movie. Overall, every now and then you watch a movie that sticks with you and you want everyone you know to watch it so you can discuss it with them. This is that movie. I give this an A.

Review: I really enjoyed this intense courtroom drama about a top lawyer who takes on a case to try and free a girl from jail after being sentenced to life for murder. Although the evidence against the accused is full of lies and deceit, there still lies the question about the girls true innocence. I liked the different twists and turns throughout the movie and the performances made the movie intense and emotional. You really don't know what direction this movie is going to take because the lawyer is also a recovering alcoholic who is fighting to get custody of her little girl. When everything becomes a bit too much for the stressed out lawyer, she turns to Nick Note for guidance, who was a great choice by the director. Anyway, I didn't lose my interest throughout the movie because it's not predictable and it doesn't seem to drag, so I can honestly say that it's worth a watch. Enjoyable!

Round-Up: It's weird watching Kate Beckinsale in a straight role after watching her shooting zombies and kicking butt in the Underworld franchise. She has starred in many top movies like The Aviator, Pearl Harbor and Total Recall but she still seems to stay under the Hollywood radar. Nick Nolte has also been out of the spotlight lately, which is a shame because I always rated him as an actor. Anyway, the whole cast performed well in this intense drama, but it didn't seem to have got a major release so it's another one of those films that will be under rated.

Budget: $7million Worldwide Gross: N/A

I recommend this movie to people who are into there intense courtroom dramas about a big time lawyer who has some serious personal issues but she still takes on a case to try and save a girl from her life sentence for murder. 6/10

In California, Cate McCall (Kate Beckinsale) is an alcoholic lawyer that was put on probation and rehab. She had an argument with a judge that sent her to the Breathalyzer test and the bar put her on probation in a small office. Cate is also fighting to recover custody of her daughter that lives with her father that is moving to Seattle.

Cate is assigned to defend Lacey Stubbs (Anna Anissimova) who has appealed claiming that she had been wrongly accused of murdering another woman since there was a trial error. Further, Lacey also tells that she was raped by a guard in the prison. Cate, who has never lost a case, investigates the case with his friend Bridges (Nick Nolte) and they find evidences that might prove that Lacey is innocent and her case is fabricated. But is she really not guilty?

Movies related to lawyers and court rooms are usually engaging and "The Trials of Cate McCall" is no exception, with a good story of manipulation and second chance in life with many twists. Once again Kate Beckinsale proves that is not only gorgeous, but also a great actress with a wonderful performance. The plot and characters are well developed and the plot point surprises. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Teia de Mentiras" ("Web of Lies")