True Believer (1989)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Joseph Ruben

Writer (WGA):

Wesley Strick (written by)

Release Date:

17 February 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Crime

Tagline:

When evidence leads to murder, sometimes it takes a dangerous man to free an innocent one.

Plot:

Eddie Dodd is a burnt out former civil rights lawyer who now specializes in defending drug dealers. Roger Baron...

Plot Keywords:

Law | Police | Corruption | Prison Gang | Prison

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

James Woods	...	Edward 'Eddie' Dodd
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Roger Baron
Margaret Colin	...	Kitty Greer
Yuji Okumoto	...	Shu Kai Kim
Kurtwood Smith	...	Robert Reynard
Tom Bower	...	Cecil Skell
Miguel Fernandes	...	Arturo 'Art' Esparza
Charles Hallahan	...	Vincent Dennehy
Sully Diaz	...	Maraquilla Esparza
Misan Kim	...	Mrs. Kim
John Snyder	...	Chuckie Loeder
Luis Guzmán	...	Ortega
Graham Beckel	...	Vinny Sklaroff
Tony Haney	...	David Montell
Joel Polis	...	Dean Rabin

Also Known As:

Fighting Justice (Philippines: English title)

Runtime:

105 min | USA:108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | New Zealand:R16 | Australia:M | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16 (f)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The character of Eddie Dodd was modeled after famed civil rights lawyer Tony Serra.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Beneath his mugshot, Chucky Loeder's name is spelled with a "y", however, in the credits it is spelled "ie".

Quotes:

Eddie Dodd: [to Roger] You want to be a criminal defense attorney? Then know this going in... everybody's guilty. Everybody.
Roger Baron: [long pause] Do you know that you wouldn't have said that ten years ago?
Eddie Dodd: Ten years is a long time.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: Homer and Apu (#5.13)" (1994)

Soundtrack:

Busload Of Faith

An outstanding stab at a familiar story.

I can't really count the number of clichés associated with the courtroom drama. Every single word and behavior exhibited in the court has been seen time and time again. So what makes this one stand out? Well, there's the eccentric direction of Joseph Ruben, the gritty cinematography of John Lindley, as well as the performance of James Woods. Yes, that all helps, but I believe that the film would have failed without the brilliant dialogue of Wesley Strick.

There are perhaps only 1 or 2 good courtroom dramas for every 10 made, but this is certainly one of those. I was quite pleased with it overall, but it doesn't have much replay value.

6.9 out of 10