The Verdict
Directed by Sidney Lumet7.788%88%7.4
An alcoholic Boston lawyer fights a law firm dean.
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The Verdict Ratings & Reviews
- TanalienJanuary 9, 2025The Verdict feels like a sports movie. How could I compare a courtroom drama to a movie where the characters play football? On first impression, The Verdict bears no resemblance to a typical Hollywood movie about sports, but the similarities practically write themselves: a broken, main character, who was once brimming with potential, needs a comeback. Everyone who knows anything about him underestimates him. In fact, he is 0-4 in his last 4 court cases! Yet, he has the courage to take on the odds and the powers that be. He suffers betrayal, a rigged system, and just when all hope feels lost, a big, 4th quarter speech motivates justice to win out. Structurally speaking, The Verdict plays like 1976's Rocky, 2000's Remember The Titans, or 2006's Invincible, but with sharper dialogue, a tighter story, and Paul Newman as the lead. Though this time, the game being played is nothing less than balancing the scale of the American justice system. A weighty story, indeed.
- David DanielApril 30, 2025In my opinion Paul Newman's best performance. Exquisitely staged and photographed.
The Verdict Trivia
The Verdict was released on December 8, 1982.
The Verdict was directed by Sidney Lumet.
The Verdict has a runtime of 2 hr 9 min.
The Verdict was produced by David Brown, Richard D. Zanuck.
The key characters in The Verdict are Frank Galvin (Paul Newman), Laura Fischer (Charlotte Rampling), Mickey Morrissey (Jack Warden).
The Verdict is rated R.
The Verdict is a Drama film.
The Verdict has an audience rating of 8.8 out of 10.