Search - The Verdict on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Mild Violence, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language, Profanity Movie Release: 1982 DVD Release: 06/04/2002 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 9 mins Studio: 20th Century Fox Members Wishing: 19 Genres: Drama, Courtroom Drama See Also: The Verdict

In Sidney Lumet's powerful courtroom drama The Verdict, Paul Newman stars as Frank Galvin, an alcoholic Boston lawyer who tries to redeem his personal and professional reputation by winning a difficult medical malpractice case. Frank, down on his luck, is presented with the case of his life when he is approached by the family of a woman who has been left in a coma following an operation in a large Catholic hospital. Helped by his assistant Mickey (Jack Warden), he agrees to take the case, hoping for a fast settlement. When he visits the victim in the hospital, he becomes emotionally involved, turns down a sizable settlement offer made by the hospital, and decides to bring the case to trial despite the formidable opposition of the Church and its lawyer, Newman (James Mason). He is also assisted by his new girlfriend, Laura (Charlotte Rampling), a woman who turns out to have an unusual past. Oscar-nominated for "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Lumet) as well as for "Best Adapted Screenplay" (David Mamet from a novel by Barry Reed), The Verdict is an outstanding, if not very legally accurate, courtroom drama; Frank's decision to try the case without telling the family of the victim of the settlement offer would probably lead to his real-life disbarment. Paul Newman and James Mason give fine, Oscar-nominated performances, and Charlotte Rampling is quite good as the deceitful Laura, who never seems to turn down a drink. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide

Paul Newman - Frank Galvin
Charlotte Rampling - Laura Fischer
Jack Warden - Mickey Morrissey
James Mason - Ed Concannon
Milo O'Shea - Judge Hoyle

Both a rich character study of a defeated middle-aged alcoholic and an engrossing "little guy against the system" courtroom drama, the budget-priced DVD release of this Paul Newman vehicle shows that =The Verdict merits repeated viewings. A major hit in its day and nominated for five Academy awards, this is the kind of mainstream American movie that rarely gets made in Hollywood anymore. The disc returns the movie to its original theatrical aspect ratio with a pristine widescreen anamorphic transfer that shows off Andrzej Bartkowiak's starkly beautiful cinematography. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono track is crisp, well-balanced, and does justice to Johnny Mandel's subtle score. The finest of the DVD extras is top director Sidney Lumet's audio commentary track. This highly rewarding master class in filmmaking also features Newman, but he basically turns up for what can be described as an audio cameo appearance and offers a few comments towards the end of the movie. While Newman is always a welcome presence, this really is basically Lumet's show. Unlike so many directors, Lumet uses the opportunity go into the decision-making process of his movie with great depth, rather than just give off-the-cuff praise to actors or amusing anecdotes. The disc also comes with a featurette on the movie itself, but it doesn't come anywhere near being as in-depth or interesting as Lumet's commentary track. ~ Nick Dedina, All Movie Guide