Paul Newman was never better than his portrayal of a washed up alcoholic personal injury attorney in The Verdict (1982) who is given an opportunity for redemption in a personal injury case. From a legal standpoint the movie is unrealistic, sometimes laughably so, but the raw power of Newman’s portrayal of a man who realizes this is his last chance shines through. His closing argument in the video above is a model of what not to do in closing arguments for real attorneys, but it a master’s course in the acting craft.
Bonus:
A great actor. Two other films in which he played unrealistic but convincing title roles were Hud and Hombre.
Since the film is sbout a washed up alcoholic, if you got a drinking problem, then please go to http://www.aa.org.
And if you’ve got a drug problem, then go to http://www.na.org or http://www.ca.org.
I went to all of them because at one time I was so totally screwed up that the good Lord had to dry clean (the corollary to brain washing) me by any means necessary. I’m still screwed up; just ask my Filipina wife. But thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ, I am no longer washed up.
PS, never saw this Paul Newman movie. Adding to my viewing list.
“Today you are the law.” “You” includes the sovereign individual on trial. As citizen of the state, the accused is included in the “law” by his very nature.