Causa justa

This movie started out as an apparently good movie, but about halfway through it started to go to hell. The only mildly good thing about the latter half of the movie was Sean Connery, who pretty much shines through the entire movie. His acting was pretty good, and could have been a saving grace, had the movie not been so bad. The end was especially horrible, as it was a nearly total ripoff of Cape Fear(the new version, with Robert De Niro), in fact, several lines were taken directly from that same scene in the movie. The second-to worst thing is the 'twist' in the end, that was so obvious that I could just as well have been sitting there, waiting for it to happen. The worst thing is that the twist ruins everything that has happened up to that point, and makes the whole movie pointless since it directly opposes nearly everything that happened in the movie before that. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone other than huge fans of Sean Connery, or people who love to watch crime mysteries. Other than that, there is no reason to waste time on this movie. 6/10

Although it borrows heavily from better and better-known films, Just Cause is quite entertaining. Several turns are predictable or hard to believe, but this film also shows some interesting character development with Sean Connery, who seems to be a little too old for this role, but was quite believable as the law teacher, who had to learn some lessons about reality and law as it is practised in reality. Laurence Fishburne and Ed Harris seem to enjoy their performances, which they deliver with much relish, and the atmosphere of the town and the Everglades are also captured nicely. But since the plot, especially the last third or so, is really contrived, and Kate Capshaw is so annoyingly bad and shallow in a key part that usually calls for a more sensitive performance, I can not really recommend this film wholeheartedly without having a guilty conscience. See it only if you have nothing else to watch.

Always enjoy the great acting of Laurence Fishburne,(Sheriff Tanny Brown) who becomes very upset when a professor visits his town to investigate a sort of Cold Case. This professor is a retired lawyer named Paul Armstrong, (Sean Connery) who has reason to believe that a man on death row is innocent of rape and murder of a very pretty little white girl. Sheriff Tanny does not appreciate Paul Armstrong coming to his town in Florida and starting to open up a can of worms as Tanny is very certain he has arrested the correct man and even has a confession to prove he did this evil deed. The guilt person is Blair Underwood,(Bobby Earl) who is very happy to see Paul Armstrong come to his defense and possibly clear his name and secure his freedom. There are many twists and turns to this story and plenty of action and very creepy areas in the swamps of Florida. This film will keep you glued to your screens if you have not seen this film before. Enjoy

Just Cause takes some of the best parts of three films, Cape Fear, A Touch of Evil and Silence of the Lambs and mixes it together to come up with a good thriller of a film.

Sean Connery is a liberal law professor, married to a former Assistant District Attorney, Kate Capshaw and he's a crusader against capital punishment. Blair Underwood's grandmother Ruby Dee buttonholes Connery at a conference and persuades him to handle her grandson's appeal. He's sitting on death row for the murder of a young girl.

When Connery arrives in this rural Florida county he's up against a tough sheriff played by Laurence Fishburne who's about as ruthless in his crime solving as Orson Welles was in Touch of Evil.

Later on after Connery gets the verdict set aside with evidence he's uncovered, he's feeling pretty good about himself. At that point the film takes a decided turn from Touch of Evil to Cape Fear.

To say that all is not what it seems is to put it mildly. The cast uniformly turns in some good performances. Special mention must be made of Ed Harris who plays a Hannibal Lecter like serial killer on death row with Underwood. He will make your skin crawl and he starts making Connery rethink some of those comfortable liberal premises he's been basing his convictions on. Many a confirmed liberal I've known has come out thinking quite differently once they've become a crime victim.

Of course the reverse is equally true. Many a law and order conservative if they ever get involved on the wrong end of the criminal justice system wants to make real sure all his rights are indeed guaranteed.

Criminal justice is not an end, but a process and a never ending one at that for all society. I guess if Just Cause has a moral that would probably be it.

The story revolves around a court case in which a black man, sentenced to death for raping and murdering a white little girl, claims to be innocent. Sean Connery plays the role of an idealistic defense lawyer and Lawrence Fishburne is the rude, ill-trained Southern police officer. Both are at opposite poles but both are guided by their sense of justice. Blair Underwood was absolutely brilliant in his character and the way he evolved was enjoyable. The plot has a time when everything suddenly changes, but it's not hard to predict. The plot has a good tension and holds our attention to the end. The actors are strong and they are giving their best. Ed Harris comes in a very interesting role, small but decisive for the course of the plot. The film does also somewhat philosophical considerations about justice and how it should be done.

In summary, this is an excellent thriller where tension follows the entire movie and holds your attention to the end. It's not totally original and it's a little predictable at times but, despite that, it can provide the audience with very good actors capable of great performances. Enjoy.