A lawyer discovers just how fine the line between good and evil can be in this drama based on the novel -Tainted Evidence by
Robert Daley. When a carefully-planned bust of drug dealer Jordan Washington (
Shiek Mahmud-Bey) goes sour, a shootout between Washington and officers from three precincts leaves a number of cops dead or wounded. Washington escapes in the confusion, but he turns himself in on the advice of gadfly lawyer Sam Vigoda (
Richard Dreyfuss). District Attorney Morgenstern (
Ron Leibman) appoints Sean Casey (
Andy Garcia), a former cop new to trial law, to prosecute the case, less for his legal expertise than because Sean's father, Liam (
Ian Holm), was one of the injured officers, guaranteeing good press. Despite Vigoda's allegations of widespread police corruption, Sean scores an easy victory in the case; Washington is behind bars, and the young lawyer's career is on the rise; however, the discovery of a dead body confirms suspicions that Vigoda's allegations have a basis in fact, and Sean learns that his father may be in on a police cover-up.
Night Falls on Manhattan also features
Lena Olin as Sean's girlfriend and
James Gandolfini as Liam's partner. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide