Stars:
Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, James Mason, and Milo O’Shea
Writer:
David Mamet
Based
On The Novel By: Barry Reed
Director:
Sidney Lumet
Feature
length: 129 minutes
Extras:
Commentary By Sidney Lumet and Paul Newman, Featurette, and Theatrical Trailers
Languages:
English Stereo and English and French Monaural Sound
Subtitles:
English Captions and Closed Captions and Spanish Subtitles
Packaging:
Amaray Keep Case
Chapter
Stops: 22
Sound:
Stereo and Monaural Sound
Year
of Theatrical Release: 1982/DVD Release: 2002
Theatrical
Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox
Home
Video Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
MPAA
Rating: R
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
Paul
Newman gives a riveting performance as an alcoholic ambulance-chasing attorney
who inherits an impossible-to-win malpractice case and a dramatic sense of
conscience after witnessing the victim in the hospital. Despite his problems he
courageously takes on the legal system in an attempt to gain justice as well as
personal redemption. The film features a great screenplay adapted by David Mamet
and was nominated for multiple Academy Awards®. James Mason delivers a great if
not villainous performance as opposing council.
Twentieth
Century Fox Home Entertainment’s DVD edition of “The Verdict” presents the
film in an anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) aspect ratio. The picture has some
visible grain that appears to be from age and is somewhat soft looking, but
overall is pretty good looking considering the film is 20 years old. A clear
English Stereo Soundtrack as well as English and French Monaural Soundtracks and
English Captions and Closed Captions and Spanish Language Subtitles encoded on
to the dual layered DVD as options.
Director
Sidney Lumet and Star Paul Newman collaborate on a screen specific audio
commentary that is also anecdote filled. The 1982 featurette for the film as
well as a few color behind-the-scenes stills are included with trailers for
“The Verdict,” “The Hustler,” “Hombre,” and Butch Cassidy And The
Sundance Kid.” The menus are standard interactive still frames that are easy
to navigate.
“The
Verdict” is available on DVD now from Twentieth Century Fox Home
Entertainment.
©
Copyright 2002 by Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.