L'avocat du démon

Saw advocate's Devil on cable in bits and pieces. due to commercial interruption when I usually change the station. but with VHS videos prices generally so low these days, tried in vain to find it for purchase, thus far.

mayhap I will record it when next I find it playing.

my rating is that it appears to be engrossing, well-written (yes, this is THE one from the Dershowitz novel) and well-played. Ken Olin plays the defense attorney. (he starred in 30-something). and therefore was immediately recognizable to me (for the other reviewer's comment)..all around, a seemingly worthwhile courtroom and beyond drama.

Never having seen "The Advocate's Devil", we decided to take a chance and frankly, it paid off quite well. Thanks to director Jeff Fleckner, the film has a lot going. In fact, the crisp cinematography used in it and the excellent editing makes this a movie well worth a look.

The film is based on Alan Dershowitz's novel, a defense attorney, himself. We are presented with a situation of how a lawyer's bad judgment clouds his vision and gets a client absolved of a crime that seems, in retrospect, too obvious to even get involved in. Abe Ringel (Ken Olin) is retained by jock star Joe Campbell (Holt McCallany) when a young woman accuses him of raping her. In fact, Ringel and his team of investigators seem to have doubts about this client from the start.

Joe Campbell figures he is above the law and can do whatever he thinks he can get away with, even after a tragedy occurs, for which he is not even blamed. It's not until he decides to concentrate on Emma, Ringel's daughter, when everything comes to a head.

The film is interesting to watch because it's not the typical Movie of the Week type. The acting is good and the cast gives an excellent account under the direction of Mr. Bleckner.

"The Advocate's Devil" will not disappoint because the quick pace and credible story.

Well...I originally wanted to watch this little telefilm; to see some other stuff Hargitay had done. I must say it was werid seeing her with long hair. The whole plot of the story ran like your typical 'lifetime' movie. You know the channel where; "The men are accused, and the women are abused."

Just like all other lifetime movies, this one was predictable. As soon as the Lawyer's daughter left for college I swear I knew exactly what was going to happen. I understand that someone would like to make unique camera shots to enhance their piece. But trust me using dutch angles was not a way to go. It just seemed to make the film worse, and I wondered when they'd stop it.

Besides all of that they never really explained the 'note' that the basketball player found in Rendi's computer. I find it hard that the girl would dismiss it all that easily. In regards to that it wasn't very realistic.

A very good , solid, direct for T.V. movie that I had the fortune to watch on "Cinemax" overnight many years ago.

The movie deals with the hard situation that popular lawyer Abe Ringel is going through after losing several cases in a row.

Things change when basketball superstar Joe Campbell is accused of rape with violence and decides to hire Ringel as his lawyer.

Ringel, along with her clever and beautiful assistant (Rendi), plus another member of his law-firm figure out the best strategy to demonstrate Campbell's innocence and win the case, although they know that Mr. Campbell is in fact a disturbed person that gets excited after insulting and raping women.

Ringel discovers that Campbell murdered an ex-hooker and threatens to present criminal charges against him.

This is where the movie gets interesting on the legal field because it displays topics like the lawyer's professional ethics towards his clients' privacy, rape, testimonies, murder, etc.

Things get bad when Campbell decides to take revenge on Ringel by seducing his sweet and beautiful daughter, Emma. Campbell finds a way to trick her into a hotel room and tries to rape her after telling horrible things about her dead mother.

This movie is very interesting even if you are not familiar with legal concepts, it is also fast paced and manages to keep you entertained.

Watch this movie and you won't regret it because it is a solid drama with likable characters, great acting, and most of all, because it is entertaining and very believable.

"Thirty Something" star Ken Olin has certainly had a fascinating career since the series ended. He has become a very successful producer, for one thing. Acting wise, for as nice a guy as he played on the series, he has often been cast as a wife killer. In this movie, based on a novel by Alan Dershowitz, he's an attorney with a run of losses who takes what looks to be a slam-dunk case, defending a basketball star accused of rape. Along the way, it begins to look like the case isn't the winner he anticipated as inconsistencies in his client's story begin to emerge.

As his investigator girlfriend, beautiful Mariska Hargitay gives a warm and honest performance. I first saw Mariska's work when she was a kid on "Falcon Crest" and my opinion of her has never changed. She was a delight then, and she has evolved into a wonderful actress while still maintaining a charismatic presence. Holt McCallany, as the defendant, gives nothing away in an enigmatic performance and will keep you guessing.

This is a film that will definitely hold your interest. Only a lawyer could come up with a plot like this, however. I found it just a little too clever.