...And Justice for All (1979)

…And Justice For All

• You’re out of order! You’re out of order! The whole trial is out of order! They’re out of order! As you can guess, this was a really fun courtroom drama. It’s one of my favorite roles of Al Pacino’s, and his Oscar nomination was certainly deserved. Especially that ending scene. One of my favorite endings I’ve ever watched, and one I’ll probably be quoting for a while. The actual writing was somewhat decent, although my biggest complaint is how it felt very scattered. By the end of the movie, it all kind of makes sense, but it was still a bit confusing all throughout. I definitely enjoyed it, but there were some scenes that just felt randomly placed, and didn’t always make sense to the overall plot. I just think the direction could’ve been a little better, but it all works out eventually. It kind of feels like multiple episodes of Matlock all smushed together. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just a little disorienting. Anyways, onto the characters. I thought they were all pretty well written, though nobody really stood out to me except for Arthur and Judge Fleming. And back to performances, I want to talk about Al again. He does such a great job of embodying a tired, worn down, slightly crazy lawyer. Every second he’s on screen, he just fills it with his persona and personality. Man, I love him. Lastly, I really liked the score, which reeks of the 70’s. A lot of sax, strings, and some synthesizer, which creates a fun retro/disco feel. It authenticates the entire mood and setting of the movie. Overall, this movie was enjoyable for the most part, although it’s nothing super special. I’d probably recommend it to most courtroom drama fans. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go watch it now!