skimari Review of Hostile Witness

Hostile Witness (1969)

A very well made courtroom drama, that you can enjoy again and again.

[10/10 · 2 July 2012]

I was lucky enough to see this film when it was recently released, in a DVD with crystal clear image and perfect sound, practically as good as a Blu-ray disc. Since then, this film has become one of my favorites among Ray Milland films, and I have almost every film he ever made. This is not a crime film or a thriller, so there is no ground to compare it with Hitchcock movies. It is a court room drama, and is perfect as such in every way. The script is very well written (adapted from a play that ran both in London and in Broadway). It is full of twists and until the end one has doubts as to whether the crime was actually committed by the barrister, just out of a clinic for a nervous breakdown, and his subconscious has buried this memory, or that he was framed. All the characters are so wonderfully British, and all very well drawn. Special mention to the major that makes a complete mess of his testimony, a delight to watch. Also the prosecutor is pompous enough and shrewd enough to stand out -- I remember him in an equally odious role in "So Evil my Love".. The judge is not just a figure, his character is drawn in vivid colors -- I also remember him as the Archbishop in "Becket". Sylvis Syms' Miss Larkin, secretly in love with her boss, is equally dynamic and clever as she is vulnerable and emotional, and a real beauty at that time. And finally Ray Milland gives us another super interpretation as Simon Crawford, the authoritative and strict barrister, that keeps everyone in awe. I can't take my eyes off him, watching every nuance of his expressive face, that gives away all his sentiments as the trial progresses, without ever going over the top. I particularly like he way he orders around his staff, he is used to being respected and obeyed, but he is not bossy just for the sake of it, he simply hates to waste time, wants everyone to meet his own quick pace. The final scene at the court when , in lack of any evidence, Simon bluffs all the way to get the real culprit to reveal himself, is very intense and leaves the viewer with the satisfaction that justice was served. The direction by Ray Milland was very able, the film advances at a correct speed, every detail is attended to, and we follow the plot with interest, feeling that this film respects our intelligence, from beginning to end.