Deliberate Intent

Deliberate Intent starring Timothy Hutton, is one of the best courtroom dramas I've seen in quite some time. The story is very well written and really makes you wonder how far the 1st Amendment can really go. The content of the film is also quite disturbing - one man will stop at nothing for money and another man will stop at nothing for justice. The acting is very good, the story very well written and the pace keeps the viewer glued to the screen till the final fade out.

Admittedly, "Deliberate Intent" is not the greatest film ever made, but a 5.4 rating seems a little harsh.

The true story concerns the lawsuit against Paladin Press for their handbook "Hit Man," which helped a man kill his family.

A first amendment attorney, Timothy Hutton, who normally would be on the side of the publisher, is approached by another attorney (Ron Rifkin) who wants to take on Paladin.

Up to that time, no publisher had ever been successfully sued for content, as publishers depend on the first amendment to publish their material.

Granted, it can be a slippery slope, but this case was not only very interesting but thought-provoking, calling into issue the responsibility of the publisher. Is it enough to say, I just published the book, collect the money, and not care about the content?

This seems like it was a TV movie and not particularly well put together. It would have made a great feature film and could have used some extra time to flesh out the story a little. Also, the Supreme Court scene was not well researched, so it was done incorrectly.

Worth seeing for the story and for Timothy Hutton, who gives an excellent performance.

After catching this flick on late night cable, I did not expect much at all. I was not mistaken. The film raises some interesting questions on free speech and the US first amendment as it follows the story of a lawyer suing a publisher, whose book is responsible for a triple murder. This is an interesting topic to look at in a film and makes you think about books, films and songs and how they can influence weak-minded individuals, and have done in the past. John Hinckley Jr. and "Taxi Driver" is one that springs to mind. However the actual delivering of this message suffers due to the plot. The director does not seem to be sure whether he wants to concentrate on the murders the court case or the main characters divorce and is the worse for it. It jumps around too much, has no character development and is decidedly flat. Good idea but could have been better.

I in no way mean to suggest that 3 people being murdered for money is hilarious, but for anyone who knows a bit about the appellate process, the "dramatic" scene in the US Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit -- with the gallery shouting out and the two lawyers sparing on rebuttal -- was laughable. I know it made for a better scene -- in reality, attorneys are given a certain time period to speak and answer questions, and there is no confrontation between parties -- but a little authenticity would have been nice. For a "real" film appellate argument, I suggest watching the Supreme Court scene in "The People Versus Larry Flint" (plus the guy who play Scalia is a dead ringer!).

It was interesting, however, to see a case I read about in law school brought to life. The case actually has some pretty strong First Amendment ramifications, which I am delighted to see people on this site have discussed. So it was not all in vain!

This movie is based on a true story. I just finished watching an episode of The New Detectives on the Discovery Channel about a triple homicide in Maryland. Near the end of the program, they showed a canceled check marked NSF made out to Palladin Press and then they showed the actual book, Hit Man, and it was the same book from this movie. The episode made brief mention of the court case and briefly showed the headline of the outcome of the case. I knew I'd recently seen a fictional program about this and I racked my brain until I came up with this movie. The movie coupled with The New Detectives episode give the complete story of a brutal and senseless occurrence.