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Criminal Law

1989-04-28 Drama 1hr 54m

Ben Chase is an on-the-rise Boston attorney currently defending a wealthy client in a high-profile murder case. Martin Thiel is the wealthy young man on trial for a particularly brutal murder. The verdict sets Thiel free. Within 24 hours another grizzly and all-too-familiar murder has taken place with striking similarities to the first crime. Chase inexplicably agrees to act as his defense attorney; but this time it will be to gather evidence that will put away his client for good.

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Storyline

Ben Chase is an on-the-rise Boston attorney currently defending a wealthy client in a high-profile murder case. Martin Thiel is the wealthy young man on trial for a particularly brutal murder. The verdict sets Thiel free. Within 24 hours another grizzly and all-too-familiar murder has taken place with striking similarities to the first crime. Chase inexplicably agrees to act as his defense attorney; but this time it will be to gather evidence that will put away his client for good.

  • Released
    1989-04-28
  • Revenue
    $9,974,446
  • Budget
    $5,000,000
  • Runtime
    1hr 54m
  • Genre
    Drama, Thriller, Romance
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    English
  • imdb-logo
    5.7
  • Production
    Hemdale Film Corporation, Northwood Productions

Crew

Martin Campbell
Director
Mark Kasdan
Writer
Robert K. MacLean
Producer
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Cast

Gary Oldman

Gary Oldman
Ben Chase
Kevin Bacon

Kevin Bacon
Martin Thiel
Tess Harper

Tess Harper
Detective Stillwell
Karen Young

Karen Young
Ellen Faulkner
Joe Don Baker

Joe Don Baker
Detective Mesel
Sean McCann

Sean McCann
Jacob Fischer
Ron Lea

Ron Lea
Gary Hull
Michael Sinelnikoff

Michael Sinelnikoff
Professor Clemens
Karen Woolridge

Karen Woolridge
Claudia Curwen
Ali Giron

Ali Giron
Isabel Fuertes
Rob Roy

Rob Roy
Ethan Parks
Terrence Labrosse

Terrence Labrosse
Judge
Barbara Jones

Barbara Jones
Sandra Massina
Jeannie Walker

Jeannie Walker
Mrs. Monroe
Tyrone Benskin

Tyrone Benskin
Jackson
Johnny Cuthbert

Johnny Cuthbert
Hal Keeler
Claire Rodger

Claire Rodger
Thiel Nurse
Rebecca Hall

Rebecca Hall
Grade Teacher
Tracy Ray

Tracy Ray
Janet
Bill Haughland

Bill Haughland
Newscaster
Howard Schwartz

Howard Schwartz
Newscaster
Mitzumi Takahashi

Mitzumi Takahashi
Newscaster
Carolyn Davine

Carolyn Davine
Law Secretary
Ilana Linden

Ilana Linden
Frowning Woman
Andrew Johnston

Andrew Johnston
Cop Tony
Anna MacCormack

Anna MacCormack
Clinic Receptionist
Irene Kessler

Irene Kessler
Librarian Peggy
James Rae

James Rae
Reporter
David Gow

David Gow
Reporter
Susan Glover

Susan Glover
Reporter
Richard Jutras

Richard Jutras
Reporter
Aidan Devine

Aidan Devine
Reporter
Robert Parson

Robert Parson
Reporter
Sam Le Marquand

Sam Le Marquand
Reporter
Lois Dellar

Lois Dellar
Reporter
Linda Rona

Linda Rona
Reporter
Mike Bucci

Mike Bucci
Reporter
Elizabeth Shepherd

Elizabeth Shepherd
Dr. Thiel

Videos and Photos

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Movie Reviews

Reviews for Criminal Law
reviewer avatar

A Review by John Chard 5

Written by John Chard on 2017-11-12

Boston based neo-noir fails to ignite. Criminal Law is directed by Martin Campbell and written by Mark Kasdan. It stars Gary Oldman, Kevi... read more

Boston based neo-noir fails to ignite. Criminal Law is directed by Martin Campbell and written by Mark Kasdan. It stars Gary Oldman, Kevin Bacon, Tess Harper, Karen Young and Joe Don Baker. Music is by Jerry Goldsmith and cinematography by Philip Meheux. Boston attorney Ben Chase (Oldman) successfully defends Martin Thiel (Bacon) who is on trial for a sexually aggravated murder. But not long after Chase comes to realise Thiel's guilt and sets about correcting the wrong he helped orchestrate. If you have never seen a legal thriller before, or a serial killer based neo-noir for that matter, then Criminal Law might just poke its head above average waters. Unfortunately the well is quite full of such filmic exercises, and much better they are too! It's all so formulaic, where the potent promise of character disintegration into a hellish noir infused world is never fully realised. Instead we get characters whose actions are at times baffling, others who are under used or pointless scene fillers, and a screenplay cracking under the strain of a near two hour run time. Add in some poor accents for the setting, one of Goldsmith's worst scores and a damp squib finale, well you are struggling continually to get on board with it all. There's a high energy sex scene where the makers are clearly showing what their intentions were, in how stuck in a web of turmoil Chase is, but it just proves how muddled and rickety the narrative is. Positives come in the form of the visual look of the piece, Meheux (GoldenEye/Casino Royale) showing some nice stylish touches, most notably a dark underground set of scenes where slatted shadows operate as the noir staple of a character psychologically imprisoned, but these moments are fleeting and the story begs for more. Elsewhere, the killer's motives are at least interesting, adding in a controversial moral poser, and Elizabeth Shepherd as Thiel's mother is superbly cold and detached (pic needed more of her). But ultimately it's a disappointing film and not recommended as a must see. 5/10

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by John Chard

Boston based neo-noir fails to ignite. Criminal Law is directed by Martin Campbell and written by Mark Kasdan. It stars Gary Oldman, Kevin Bacon, Tess Harper, Karen Young and Joe Don Baker. Music is by Jerry Goldsmith and cinematography ...

reviewer avatar

A Review by John Chard 5

Written by John Chard on 2017-11-12

Boston based neo-noir fails to ignite. Criminal Law is directed by Martin Campbell and written by Mark Kasdan. It stars Gary Oldman, Kevin Bacon, Tess Harper, Karen Young and Joe Don Baker. Music i...

read more