Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Arrogant, brilliant and successful, criminal defense attorney Martin Vail loves a good fight and the media spotlight, both of which he knowingly invites when he volunteers to represent a penniless, bewildered young man accused of murder. The victim is one of Chicago's most prominent dignitaries, a Catholic archbishop, and the defendant's guilt seems as evident as the blood found splattered on his clothes. But Vail doesn't concern himself with questions of guilt or innocence. All he cares about is creating and selling his version of the truth. All he cares about is winning. As his involvement with his client deepens, however, Vail's consuming need to win, his antagonism toward his former boss in the prosecutor's office, his complicated relationship with his recent lover who is the prosecutor in this case, and his unexpected feelings for his client, combine to blind him to the trap awaiting him.

This is a great catalog release by Paramount and still one of the better thrillers of the last decade. Norton is absolutely brilliant in this career making role and Gere is in top form. It is interesting watching this now and seeing the great talent involved. The supporting cast here is incredible and the story still holds up just as well today as when it was first released. Court thrillers don’t get much better than this.

Paramount delivers a fantastic video presentation for this catalog gem. The image is devoid of any post processing byproducts and I loved the natural film-like look. Detail can vary a bit from scene to scene but is solid for the most part. Fine object detail isn’t quite up to par with the newer films out there but still holds up pretty well in close ups. The image has a great sense of depth and dimension and all things considering is one of the better catalog releases I’ve seen from Paramount.

The soundtrack has a bit of a dated quality to it and sounds a bit thin in the dialogue department at times. The film’s score also shows a bit of age but the sound design is pretty solid. The track has a good spatial quality to it and surround usage is actually quite good for the genre.

Extras include a feature commentary with most of the key production players including the director along with an inside look at making the film. A casting session with then up and comer Edward Norton is included along with some deleted scenes and trailers.

Catalog thrillers don’t get much better than this and Paramount has done a great job with the presentation. A must own for fans of the genre!