…and justice for all **** (1979, Al Pacino, Jack Warden, John Forsythe, Lee Strasberg, Christine Lahti, Sam Levene, Jeffrey Tambor) – Classic Movie Review 8,797

The ironic title of Norman Jewison’s 1979 crime thriller And Justice for All hides a wildly funny and despairing film that shows the US legal system in the worst possible light. It was nominated for two Oscars: Best Actor (Al Pacino) and Best Screenplay.

The ironic title of Norman Jewison’s 1979 crime thriller …And Justice for All hides a wildly funny and despairing film that shows the American legal system in the worst possible light. It was nominated for two Oscars: Best Actor (Al Pacino) and Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Valerie Curtin and Barry Levinson).

Al Pacino bristles with energy as Arthur Kirkland, the Baltimore lawyer forced to defend an ogre-ish judge, Henry Fleming (John Forsythe), accused of rape.

This sizzling, intelligent, provocative movie is propelled by strenuous direction by Jewison, getting the most out of all his top cast of involving actors and the unusual, strikingly shot locations.

The searing turn of Oscar-nominated Pacino apart, it is the dark and dangerous edge of the bitter attack on the legal system that gives the movie its main strength and appeal. The original screenplay by Valerie Curtin and Barry Levinson was also Oscar nominated. It also stars Jack Warden, Lee Strasberg, Christine Lahti, Sam Levene, and Jeffrey Tambor.

It is a major movie in Al Pacino’s brilliant career. He is an nine-time Oscar nominee, with one win, for the wrong film in Scent of a Woman (1992).

Also in the cast are Craig T Nelson, Joe Morton, Dominic Chianese, Robert Christian, Thomas Waites, Larry Bryggman, Victor Arnold, Vincent Beck, Michael Gorrin, Baxter Harris, John G Hertzler, Alan North, Tom Quinn, Beverly Sanders, Connie Sawyer, Charles Siebert, Robert Symonds, Keith Andes, Stephen Blackmore, Vasili Bogazianos, Terrence Currier, Walter Davy, Rita Fredricks, Jack Hollander, Carl Pistilli, Darrell Zwerling, Terry Wooten, John Aquino, Sidney Clute, Angus Duncan, Johnny Haymer, Kenneth Patterson, Allisha Council, Molly Kohler, Cathleen Schurr, Donald S Saiontz, Bill Polk, Bonita Cartwright, Frank Sliwaka, Julius Dunbar, Angelyn Forbes, Newton Scott, and McLindsey Hawkins.

Pacino won the Academy Award for Best Actor for Scent of a Woman (1992), and his other Oscar-nominated roles include The Godfather (1972), Serpico (1973), The Godfather Part II (1974), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), …And Justice for All (1979), Dick Tracy (1990), Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), and The Irishman (2019).

RIP legendary Canadian film director Norman Jewison (July 21, 1926 – January 20, 2024).

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8,797

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com