American Tragedy

I don't know who approved this script but it sucked! Big Time! All the characters were written as cardboard cutouts. Simpson himself could possibly be the worst written character I have ever seen. He is written as an almost mentally deficient child! The man did graduate from university and managed to parlay his speaking abilities into broadcasting. Mass murderer...maybe, idiot, he is not. Acting all around was great. Rhames, Silver, Plummer, Kirby, all great. That's the only factor that kept me watching the first half.

Trimark's 'American Tragedy' tracks Marcia Clark's book, 'Without A Doubt' so well I wondered if she hadn't cooperated in the screenplay. It bothered me that this movie is not listed in Maltin's Movie Guide and I wondered why, but then I see here that it's a TV production, and Maltin does not list those. Much of course was left out, most of which would have been even more incriminating. The movie is very well done, quite restrained and objective in my view. It is 'without a doubt' and at the very least a damning testimony to the flaws in our jury system. The one strong point in the book that the movie glossed over or even gave a wrong impression about was Judge Ito's marked favoritism toward the defensive team of lawyers throughout the trial. All in all, a very interesting and important film.

The idea of taking an excellent cast and fitting them into images of the real trial of O.J. Simpson is interesting. However, I think people are tired of the story. After all, the whole thing played out like a soap opera on TV for seemingly forever.

But the look at how things were behind the real TV scenes is intriguing, and depicting OJ as megalomaniac who has lost his grip on reality explains a great deal about the case.

Norman Mailer's brilliant teleplay deserves to stand alongside the finest work that he has ever done. Adapted from Lawrence (`Perfect Murder, Perfect Town') Schiller's book in collaboration with newcomer James Willwerth, it almost dispels the stigmas that the media conviction imposed on the OJ trial from the beginning.

There are some disappointments from the cast - possibly because expectations were so high based on Ving Rhames' dazzling embodiment of Don King, and the backgrounds of some other stellar personages present here.

Most deficient is Bruno Kirby as Barry Scheck; wrong for the part physically and inflectionally.

But Ron Silver is as on target as Robert Shapiro as he was as Dershowitz in `Reversal of Fortune.' You can't say more than that, can you? Mailer explores at great length the facets of Shapiro's courage and genius contributing to the defense, and only fleetingly touches upon the jerk he became later on. Christopher Plummer does not look like F. Lee Bailey, and the characterization never attains the stature of its depictee. Bailey was and is one of the towering figures of the 20th century, the Disraeli and Dreyfuss and Clarence Darrow of modern times.

The two female leads are magnificent. The gifted and beautiful Sandra Prosper is Shawn Chapman, a fledgling figure inside the team - a dips**t girl spouting caucasiphobic cliches who grows into an insightful woman adept at absorbing and reflecting and expanding upon the greatness that surrounds her. And Diana LaMar is 100% at recreating the imperious and acerbic Marcia Clark.

Rhames' delivery of Cochran's soaring summation equals the oration of Chaplin at the end of `Great Dictator.'

The verdict of `Not Guilty!' - an anthem that rings out across the world declaring to the power-driven starched and cleanshaven deranged sadists who believe that people should be herded into groups and burned: `Rightly or wrongly, you will not always have your way!'

Sure I know the characters in this docudrama seem like cardboard cutoff, but you have to admit anything that pertains to "The Simpson Trial" must be respected and looked upon as a national icon. Plus a film with Ving Rhames is a must see. Rhames has had past success playing many other heavies besides Johnnie Cochran, remember the Golden Globe he won in 1998 for his performance as legendary boxing promoter Don King in the HBO original movie Don King: Only in America. Ving Rhames said it best about Don King and Johnnie Cochran "They try to say something". And believe me people like myself listen because King and Cochran stand for what they believe in and speak a free mind on issues of importance. "American Tragedy" does a great job showing the feud of the defense team members mostly between Shapiro and Cochran and with F. Lee Bailey helping to replace Shapiro as lead counsel. It showed in perfect detail how the defense team played the race card and cast doubt on the truthfulness of the blood evidence. This movie even showed what a great coach O.J. Simpson was by giving his lawyers advice on strategy! Then after the acquittal you see the rocky relationships of "The Dream Team" end. You will love the performance of Ving Rhames as Cochran and Plummer does a nice job as F. Lee Bailey while Silver and Bruno Kirby are only halfway acceptable as Shapiro and Scheck. "American Tragedy" is a fascinating look at a trial that will always remain fresh in our minds. Remember everyone will enjoy a media obsession.