A defence attorney suffers a crisis of conscience when he recognises his own responsibility for enabling a serial killer to be set free but when he's presented with an opportunity to put matters right, he realises that taking the necessary action would require him to act unethically and unprofessionally.
This psychological thriller focuses on the lawyer's ethical dilemma, his gradual recognition that the legal system only has a limited ability to deliver justice and his personal struggle to avoid becoming the kind of monster that he's determined to bring to justice.
Ben Chase (Gary Oldman) is the defence attorney who's prepared to use any kind of cynical ploy to get a "not guilty" verdict for his clients and after using one such manoeuvre to discredit the value of eyewitnesses in a murder case, earns an acquittal for Martin Thiel (Kevin Bacon). After the trial, Thiel gives indications that he was actually guilty and a short time later telephones Chase to arrange a meeting at a nearby park. When Chase goes to the arranged meeting place, he's horrified to discover the body of a woman who'd been raped and murdered.
Police detectives Mesel (Joe Don Baker) and Stillwell (Tess Harper) attend the crime scene and are openly disdainful of Chase who they blame for returning the murderer back into society. When it seems that Thiel might need legal representation for a second time, Chase agrees to defend him so that he can make sure that he's held accountable for his crimes. This unethical approach isn't entirely feasible however, and so Chase tries to get Thiel to incriminate himself. In trying to do this, the two men become closer and Chase starts to recognise certain similarities between them that he finds disturbing.
In "Criminal Law" it's interesting to see the changes that the ultra-conceited Chase goes through as he becomes filled with doubt about what he's doing and takes advice from his mentor, Professor Clemens (Michael Sinelnikoff) who advises him about the shortcomings of the justice system by saying that "the law is the dark shadow of justice". Similarly, the significance of the first part of the Nietzsche quotation at the start of the movie ("Whosoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster") also becomes apparent in an interesting way as the relationship between the two men becomes closer and the mind games begin.
The main problem with this movie is that the interest that's established in the effective first act gradually dissipates as the whole undertaking loses coherence as it progresses. More pleasingly though, the issues it addresses do provide some good material for a thriller and Gary Oldman and Kevin Bacon are excellent in their roles
This psychological thriller focuses on the lawyer's ethical dilemma, his gradual recognition that the legal system only has a limited ability to deliver justice and his personal struggle to avoid becoming the kind of monster that he's determined to bring to justice.
Ben Chase (Gary Oldman) is the defence attorney who's prepared to use any kind of cynical ploy to get a "not guilty" verdict for his clients and after using one such manoeuvre to discredit the value of eyewitnesses in a murder case, earns an acquittal for Martin Thiel (Kevin Bacon). After the trial, Thiel gives indications that he was actually guilty and a short time later telephones Chase to arrange a meeting at a nearby park. When Chase goes to the arranged meeting place, he's horrified to discover the body of a woman who'd been raped and murdered.
Police detectives Mesel (Joe Don Baker) and Stillwell (Tess Harper) attend the crime scene and are openly disdainful of Chase who they blame for returning the murderer back into society. When it seems that Thiel might need legal representation for a second time, Chase agrees to defend him so that he can make sure that he's held accountable for his crimes. This unethical approach isn't entirely feasible however, and so Chase tries to get Thiel to incriminate himself. In trying to do this, the two men become closer and Chase starts to recognise certain similarities between them that he finds disturbing.
In "Criminal Law" it's interesting to see the changes that the ultra-conceited Chase goes through as he becomes filled with doubt about what he's doing and takes advice from his mentor, Professor Clemens (Michael Sinelnikoff) who advises him about the shortcomings of the justice system by saying that "the law is the dark shadow of justice". Similarly, the significance of the first part of the Nietzsche quotation at the start of the movie ("Whosoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster") also becomes apparent in an interesting way as the relationship between the two men becomes closer and the mind games begin.
The main problem with this movie is that the interest that's established in the effective first act gradually dissipates as the whole undertaking loses coherence as it progresses. More pleasingly though, the issues it addresses do provide some good material for a thriller and Gary Oldman and Kevin Bacon are excellent in their roles