The Star Chamber *** (1983, Michael Douglas, Hal Holbrook, Yaphet Kotto, Sharon Gless) – Classic Movie Review 12,766

Peter Hyams’s intriguing and challenging 1983 vigilante crime thriller film The Star Chamber stars Michael Douglas, Hal Holbrook, Yaphet Kotto, and Sharon Gless.

Director Peter Hyams’s 1983 American crime thriller film The Star Chamber stars Michael Douglas, Hal Holbrook, Yaphet Kotto, and Sharon Gless.

After eager, idealistic young Los Angeles judge Steven Hardin (Michael Douglas) has to free a boy’s suspected torturers and murderers (played by Joe Regalbuto, Don Calfa), his friend old Judge Caulfield (Hal Holbrook) persuades him to appear before the Star Chamber, a vigilante association of judges, who put their hitmen on the case to kill criminals who find loopholes in the law.

The Star Chamber is an intriguing and challenging vigilante thriller, with a typically stalwart Douglas turn, and some excellent support performances, though there are a lot of loose ends and there is plenty of moral dubiousness in the rather confusing and muddled screenplay by Roderick Taylor and Peter Hyams, based on Taylor’s story.

Also notable in the good cast are James B Sikking, John DiSanti, Otis Day (as DeWayne Jessie), Jack Kehoe, Larry Hankin, Dick Anthony Williams, James Margolin, and Frances Bergen.

The Star Chamber had a budget of $8 million and took $5.6 million at the box office.

It was distributed by 20th Century Fox on August 5, 1983. It was released on VHS in 1984, on DVD in 2005, and on Blu-ray on May 28, 2013.

Peter Hyams recalled: ‘I wanted to make a film connected to an issue: the breakdown of the legal system and the resulting hysteria of crime. I was nervous about how young I could make Judge Hardin but I spent a lot of time at the Superior Court and there are quite a few good-looking, 40-year-old judges on the bench.’

The Star Chamber is directed by Peter Hyams, runs 108 minutes, is made by Frank Yablans Presentations, is released by 20th Century Fox, is written by Roderick Taylor and Peter Hyams, based on Roderick Taylor’s story, is shot in widescreen by Richard Hannah, is produced by Frank Yablans, is scored by Michael Small, and designed by Bill Malley.

Among the cast are Michael Douglas as Superior Court Judge Steven R Hardin, Hal Holbrook as Judge Benjamin Caulfield, Yaphet Kotto as Det Harry Lowes, Sharon Gless as Emily Hardin, James B Sikking as Dr Harold Lewin, Joe Regalbuto as Arthur Cooms. Don Calfa as Lawrence Monk, David Faustino as Tony Hardin, Larry Hankin as Det Kenneth Wiggan, Dick Anthony Williams as Det Paul Mackey, Otis Day (as DeWayne Jessie) as Stanley Flowers, David Proval as Officer Nelson, Robin Gammell as Judge Archer, Matthew Faison as Judge Stoner, Fred McCarren as Judge Karras, Michael Ensign as Judge Kirkland, Jason Bernard as Judge Bocho, Jerry Taft as Judge Fogelson, Mike Austin as Judge Lang, Sheldon Feldner as Judge James Culhane, Keith Buckley as the assassin, Diana Douglas as Adrian Caulfield, Frances Bergen as Mrs. Cummins, Robert Costanzo as Sgt Spota, Charles Hallahan as Officer Pickett, John DiSanti as Detective James Wickman, Jack Kehoe as Hingle, and James Margolin as Albert Beamer.

As head of Paramount, Frank Yablans oversaw the release and marketing of The Godfather (1972), The Godfather Part II (1974), and Chinatown (1974). He was executive producer of Silver Streak (1976), The Other Side of Midnight (1977) and Congo (1995), and produced and adapted the screenplays for North Dallas Forty (1979) and Mommie Dearest (1981).

© Derek Winnert 2023 – Classic Movie Review 12,766

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