Mistrial

"Mistrial" tells of a highly improbably story of a cop caught in the jaws of an imperfect system who goes over the edge and holds a courtroom hostage. Good work by Pullman can't save a mediocre screenplay and ludicrous lagging story with some good acting talent in scripted mannequin roles. Very ordinary low budget made-for-tv yawner.

Bill Pullman (Independence Day, While You Were Sleeping) stars as a police officer who takes over the courtroom where an accused cop-killer is going to be let free because the evidence he collected is in-admissable. Jon Seda (Selena, Sunchaser) plays the accused cop-killer. The film gains most of its strength from the two main performances, especially Pullman's. Always a likeable actor, Pullman creates a flawed character who is in way over his head. Seda gives a very good performance also. Highly recommended.

Pullman does not make a convincing cop; sorry. He is the Leslie Neilson of the 21st century; he belongs in satire and comedy. After a while, Neilson stopped playing dramatic roles and did strictly comedy; Pullman should do the same. The story is a lower case version of The Negotiator, a much better film, starring Samuel Jackson, and with a much bigger budget. This wasn't horrible, but Pullman is no Jackson, and there was not nearly the tension of Negotiator. The supporting cast is not too bad; Loggia does a good job, but it is not enough to save this made for TV film.

In my opinion after watching 'Mistrial', this is a very underrated film (its current rating of 5.6 as of 18/11/2024 is almost criminal) with a great and very unconventional ending in which the 'victor', for lack of a better word, is not the one you expect. Only some questionable production values detract from an otherwise fantastic experience.

This film also offers an insightful and realistic portrayal of the limitations of the justice system, such as when evidence was withheld in court for dubious reasons which sometimes boil down to the judge's 'opinion'. Secondly, I loved the commentary on police brutality and the role of cops in society. They risk their lives on a daily basis for us both most get vilified way too easily when something goes a little awry.

A great and underrated film with a thought-provocative ending but which had a limited budget (which is somewhat understandable for TV productions).

If there's ever been a film deserving of an exact 5/10 rating, it's 'Mistrial.' This movie failed to wow me in any way, nor did it make me want to turn it off at any point. The script, while totally unrealistic and unbelievable, was brought to moderate life by the average acting abilities of Pullman, et al., at least enough to keep my half-closed eyes peering at the screen until the credits rolled.

If you want to throw something on in the background while you paint your toenails or floss your teeth, throw this film on. But if you're looking for a scintillating example of fine American courtroom drama, keep walking. This movie was only slightly more intellectually engrossing than Pullman's other 90's hit: Spaceballs.