... And Justice for All (1979, dir. Norman Jewison)

... And Justice for All (1979, dir. Norman Jewison)

What Is It?: A satirical black comedy about the justice system starring a young and charismatic Al Pacino.

What About It?: This brisk, somewhat facile comedy contains what is generally thought of as Pacino's last great 70's performance, from that string of greats including Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico and the first two Godfather films. And Pacino certainly doesn't disappoint in this movie. In fact, not only is he powerful and engaging as ever, he's also surprisingly attractive in this – he's been such a creepy skull-head for so long, it can be hard to remember how good looking he once was. That said, the movie is good, but parts of it make for somewhat of a mixed bag. It's more dated than many of its era – the jazz-funk Dave Grusin score in particular stands out badly – and the script is about as subtle as a ball peen hammer. That said...

Why Should I See It?: It's really funny. Jewison's direction of the actors is uniformly excellent, drawing fine work from Jack Warden and a young Jeffery Tambor, among others. Also, its interesting to note while watching it that the film served as a template for many of the satirical legal television shows that followed it. From “L.A. Law” to “Ally McBeal” to “Boston Legal”, all owe a huge debt to Jewison's film.

What Else Is It Like?: True Believer, Absence of Malice, Network.

When Is It Playing Until ON DEMAND?: 2/22/07

Watch It ON DEMAND On Comcast Cable.

-- ddt/pdx