I try to be mindful of budget level when watching a movie, and this one definitely didn't appear to have a big budget; evidenced by some audio and coloring issues, as well as a few weird editing choices and a disregard for time period authenticity. Putting those issues aside, the movie delivers some pretty good entertainment. It takes about half an hour to get through the set-up and make it into the courtroom for the big trial, but once there things really shine. Joy White in the title role of Dovey Roundtree makes up for a tiny neophyte acting stumble or two outside the courtroom by delivering one of the best courtroom attorney roles I have seen in a long time. She is powerful, and I can easily see her carrying her weight as an attorney on any major legal TV show. She is aided by solid performances from Karl Lucht as her legal helper Ryle and Terrence Mombrun as the accused, Ray Crump. Their opponents, over at the prosecution table, put up a good fight and I loved snickering at some of their attempts. Lance Henry as Alfred Hantman is perfectly cast and very convincing as the pompous but subdued lead prosecutor addicted to the hat and jacket evidence he seems to continually pull out. His performance is bolstered at just the right times by peppering in his two entertaining assistant prosecutors, Michael Edenbaum, who likes to mime his sentences out, and the hilarious Cheyenne Mobbs who goes on a diatribe about a down zipper. Every witness to take the stand, and there is a long parade of them, does a great job and brings a unique character into play. My favorite witness was Matthew Hurley, as Detective Crooke, who seemed to relish every second on the stand and played up his perceived absudity of portions of the situation extraordinarily. All these characters are kept under control by the sometimes mean, sometimes bored, sometimes cranky old Judge Corcoran played by Eric Wilkerson. Such great characters and actors in this courtroom, I'd love to watch them all in a weekly legal sitcom with some lighter material. And while these courtroom actors carry this film, I would be remiss if I didn't mention a couple of intriguing performances outside the courtroom. There is a really good JFK performance from Christopher Phipps, and Scotty Walker carries his scene as the clue deliverer Jim Truitt. Lots of great actors that I have never seen before in anything, all of which I would love to see more of. Take away the budget contraints and this is the kind of movie that could have been a sleeper success. In its current form, though, it is still highly enjoyable. And I wouldn't be surprised at all to see any of these actors showing up down the road in some popular big budget movies or TV shows. I look forward to seeing what comes next from this filmmaker, Ralph Cinque, who wrote and directed this entertaining courtroom drama.
