In Her Defense

Just saw this movie today for the first time. Although the plot was plausible in most cases, I was simply amazed (and disappointed) at how similar this movie was to Body Heat. In the opening sequence (and at several points later in the movie), you can even hear the same music score that was used in Body Heat. Had this movie been slightly more original in its plot and musical score, it may have risen above the long list of average film noir movies.

A "chance meeting" between a wealthy and beautiful but deaf woman and a struggling single family lawyer leads to a torrid affair when the woman learns how much wealth she could accumulate should she leave her abusive husband. Drama and suspense film set in the beautiful province of New Brunswick, in east coast Canada with Michael Dudikoff, well known for his leading roles in action and martial arts films, playing the role of defense lawyer Andrew Garfield.

Refreshing change to see Dudikoff in this role and he plays it well, as a man in love with a mysterious woman, who is a suspect in the murder of her husband. Film is actually set in Canadian courts with references to the Crown, and the lawyers appear in black robes and white neck tabs, a setting which differs from the American courts. Small blooper in one scene approximately 30 minutes into the movie, a police van with a logo "New Brunswick Sheriff" appears at the scene of the crime. In Canada, I don't think there are sheriffs. Provincial and federal levels of crime enforcement including the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police).

Excellent tale of deception that questions a lawyer's ethics vs. his or her personal feelings.

In Saint John, New Brunswick, Andrew meets Jane in a museum in front of a painting she did. Jane is deaf, but Andrew speaks just enough sign language to get himself in trouble. Fortunately, Jane is understanding and charming. Andrew is at the museum with Debra; both are lawyers who were working on the same case earlier in the movie. Jane is there with her abusive but rich husband Noby, who sells half the concrete in Canada and also has a trucking business.

Jane asks Andrew to work on getting out of a prenuptial agreement so she can divorce Noby--she would get more if he died. Andrew and Jane get quite close.

When Noby is killed, Jane is a suspect, and she asks Andrew to be her lawyer. Debra ends up working on the prosecution side.

This was a pretty good murder mystery. Nothing special, and we know who did it, but the investigation is interesting, with plenty of plot twists, including some truly remarkable ones at the end. Hint: watch for the girl popping balloons. That means something big is about to happen that will change everything.

Daniel Pilon gave the outstanding performance as the lead prosecutor, occasionally appearing in scenes we later find out occur after the conclusion of the trial, talking about what it takes to commit the perfect murder. Marlee Matlin was also quite good as Jane. And Robbie O'Neill made investigator Frank quite a character.

It wasn't the best murder mystery ever, but I enjoyed it.

"In Her Defense" from 1999 is a Canadian-made film starring Marlee Matlin and Michael Dudikoff.

Dudikoff is an attorney, Andrew Garfield, a former prosecutor now on the other side, who meets Jane Claire (Matlin) at an art show as he's admiring one of her paintings. She comes to his office a short time later seeking a divorce and asks if he can try and break her prenup. They wind up becoming lovers. Her husband comes home early one day; a fight ensues, and Garfield shoots him.

Jane is a suspect and later arrested. Andrew has to defend her and somehow not implicate himself.

How many times is this story going to be remade? Answer -- I have no idea, but it keeps happening. I will give this one credit -- it has a surprise ending.

I have to say that I have never heard such loud, dramatic, intrusive music in my life. I thought I was watching Ben-Hur.

The stars are very attractive and do well. You can see the ending coming from a mile away, except it doesn't end as you expect. So I'd recommend it for that.

Andrew is a lawyer. One day, his partner (a nice-looking woman) takes him to an art exposition, where he meets Jane, a deaf woman who painted some of the stuff there. He also meets her violent husband. Soon, Jane calls in at his studio to ask him about the divorce. He goes to her house,while the husband's out, and the average for their meetings occur: sex.

During the second of these meetings, the husband calls in and Andrew, trying to defend himself, takes a gun from a shelf and shoots the husband. He throws the body to a river, but the police finds it and all the evidence points to Jane. He will defend her in the trial, but at what cost? After hearing loads about MArlee mAtlin, I finally saw a movie with her. She's rather good, rather pretty, and convincing in her role (yes, I did realize she's truly deaf). But the surprise is Michael Dudikoff here, in a sort of dramatic role. He's not as good as in the "Bounty Hunter" films but he is surprising as the lawyer. The rest of the cast is rather good too.

It is not a movie I would have rented, but after seeing it, it's worth it.

6/10