Verdetto finale

Okay. I'm a huge James Woods fan, so I may be a bit biased. But a lot of these reviews on this movie are pretty unfair - *especially* the one where the only comments made about the entire movie was a detailed description of the "nightmare" Woods' hairpiece inspired for the viewer. C'mon, that has nothing to do with anything. (I, personally, quite liked seeing Woods with long hair for a change - but that's not the point of this review, so I'm moving on.)

This movie's plot, about a disillusioned lawyer who has spent the latter half of his career getting drug dealers freed, and suddenly gets a chance at a case where he can really do something _good_ - namely, free an innocent man - is a story that packs a lot of power. And most of that power comes from Woods in his role as Eddie Dodd, the shambled attorney. Man, if Woods would ever find himself without work, he could always go back to school and go into law; raw passion, this guy has it. The court scenes are brilliant. Actually, all of the scenes are brilliant. You can't watch this movie without being amazed at the depths of emotion that this character is going through, all visible on his face, in his eyes, in his voice. The acting is superb. (A rarity with some more recent movies, in my opinion.) The character is superb. Woods turns him from a character into a real _person_, someone you can relate to, someone you can understand and sympathize with. Which is really what makes a movie great.

The acting is great, the story is gripping - the audience can try to stay one step ahead of the characters, but good luck! Everything unfolds at a good pace, without getting either too slow or too confusing. Robert Downey, Jr., is both amusing and poignant as a green attorney working for Dodds; and Yuji Okumoto, as Shu, has some really in-depth scenes against Dodds. All the characters are great.

It's got action, it's got power, it's got raw emotion, it's got _feeling_. The ending was poignant enough to make me cry. So, hey, if you like watching a film that will get your attention and maybe even make you re-think a few things about how America is handled, give this movie a try. Because, really, the hairpiece on Woods is actually quite attractive. ;-)

The last decade of the twentieth century is known for the millions of courtroom dramas produced. At the turn of that decade, True Believer was released and countless numbers followed. For the film itself, it was actually pretty good though it seems no one has seen the film. It has all what you would expect in a courtroom drama and it was done fairly well. The film was tense and it has some stirring moments. However, the film needs editing work done as there are many continuity issues and it gives the overall story arch some unnecessary problems.

This film is about a lawyer named Eddie Dodd who used to be a civil rights lawyer and now he is a worn-down defender for drug users. With the help of a younger lawyer just out of grad school Roger Baron, Dodd decides to open an eight-year-old case involving an Asian guy who was wrongly convicted of a gang hit. Now Dodd must fight against wormy prosecutors, corrupt cops, and racial Nazis just to even stay alive.

Roger Ebert has the perfect quote for James Woods performance as he called him "hypnotically watchable." I happen to agree that Woods deliver an excellent performance as he does not hold anything back. Plus you have to give credit to his hairstyle making him look like a lawyer from the 1770's. On the other hand, I didn't quite buy Robert Downey Jr's performance. He is a fantastic actor, but his role here irritated me. He has some good moments, but not enough to prove his worth.

Overall, True Believer is a fine courtroom film that is energized by the fiery James Woods performance. If he was not here, this movie would have been mediocre at best. But the film itself is thrilling and there are even some chilling aspects to the film, almost horror-film like. But there are also some action scenes and chases that will keep normal filmgoers interested. I thought the actual court case was interesting and it shows how racist Americans can be, even twenty plus years after the Civil Rights Act. I rate this film 8/10.

Shu Kai Kim has been in prison for a gang murder. He is attacked by a rival gang and ends up killing his attacker. Eddie Dodd (James Woods) is a cynical New York defense attorney. His better days as a civil rights lawyer are behind him and he uses his righteous rhetoric to work for drug dealers. Roger Baron (Robert Downey Jr.) is the new graduate eager to work for the legend but is dismayed by his present condition. Kim's mother comes to them with both his cases of self-defense in prison and a wrongful conviction 8 years ago. Kitty Greer (Margaret Colin) is Eddie's investigator. Robert Reynard (Kurtwood Smith) is the prosecutor.

James Woods has more than enough charisma to spare. He and his ponytail have all the screen presence in the world. The story isn't anything to write home about but the movie does have great actors doing good work. Robert Downey Jr. brings his boyish eagerness and Kurtwood Smith accentuates his entitled arrogance. I don't know if I buy Margaret Colin as a tough investigator. She's best at the mom roles. Overall, this is a standard court drama with great actors doing solid work.

As a huge fan of Robert Downey, Jr. I anticipated this film for weeks when I heard it was on television. So, last Saturday night I turned on the TV and, I wasn't sorry.

James Woods is in a great performance as Edward Dunn, a hotshot attorney who hires Roger Baron (Robert Downey, Jr.) to clerk for him. Woods defends a Korean whom's mother believes that he's been wrongly accused. But all the facts points to the Korean (Yuji Okumodo)...

As I said, Woods is in a great performance, which unfortunately could have been much better had it not been for his wiggy hairdo. Downey is excellent, and you can actually feel his character's anticipation. You can also feel the coldness and bitterness of Okumodo's character. Kurtwood Smith is very interesting as Robert Reynard, and the rest of the cast are also in intruiging performances.

The film is at some points very hard to follow, but overall this film could well be one of the best crime dramas of the late 1980's.

TRUE BELIEVER (1989) *** James Woods, Robert Downey Jr., Margaret Colin. Woods excels as a hippie liberal defense attorney (patterned after the legendary NYC defender William Kunstler) who gets a chance at redemption in the case of an young Asian man accused of cold blooded murder that opens a can of worms including corruption and a life lesson in ideals and dignity.