There are plenty of movies that have aged gracefully and are still wholly relevant, such as The GodFather. However, this is not one of them. Unfortunately, it doesn't even fall in the "it's so bad, it's good" category either.
Please note that this review contains multiple spoilers.
For instance, as a 1979 picture, studios wanted to be on the cutting edge of what was considered cool at the time and thus, instead of a dramatic symphonic soundtrack, we are greeted right from the get-go with disco grooves. Since this felt so out of place, it would have made sense to see John Travolta in a cameo as the introductory credits rolled by. Keep in mind this is a drama about a case where a woman is severely beaten and raped, so prompting the audience to snap its fingers and gyrate its hips to appease the brutality of the crime was a decision that the kindred spirit of Jeffrey Dahmer presiding over Columbia Pictures at the time reasonably took.
There are countless moments of total absence of logic that should baffle the mind of anybody with an IQ of 60 or higher.
For one, Pacino's character, "Arthur," is in jail overnight for trying to punch a judge in the face. There is no way that he would still be practicing law afterwards. However, due to the infinitely spotless track record of 24h jail timeouts, it makes sense to assume that Arthur has learned his lesson. Next, a woman on a committee that antagonizes Arthur falls for the lamest sober pickup attempt in film history, in spite of the fact that she's a foot taller and out of his league. I've witnessed fewer leaps of faith in Rambo. Then, they proceed to have yelling matches sporadically throughout the movie but are magically able to separate their professional and personal lives. I have witnessed better chemistry between a Nazi officer and a concentration camp prisoner.
Arthur's best friend is Jay who spends 2 scenes laughing exaggeratingly loud and long at an ironic element in the story. It had more weight and appeared more natural when Dr Evil did the same in Austin Powers. It is known later that a killer he freed on a technicality killed 2 children which upset him so that he took refuge at the end of a long hall with an endless stack of plates which he frisbeed at people who would approach him. This posed such a threat that 2 police officers unholstered their guns ready to shoot him. Later, he shaves his head (eat your heart out, Brittany Spears).
Arthur is blackmailed into to defending the judge he despises in spite of the fact that he's guilty because he could otherwise be disbarred on a technicality. Trying to hit a judge is bad but apparently not as bad as calling the cops because he thought a crazy client of his might kill people, which is a conflict of interest. Makes sense.
There is another judge in the story who is purely suicidal. He spend his lunches on the ledge of the 4th-floor, pilots helicopters with limited fuel supplies, and attempt to shoot his head off with a long rifle in his bathroom before court starts. Next to him, the Joker is the picture child for mental stability.
The climax of the movie is the courtroom scene where Arthur is making his opening statement. He stops midway and announces that he can't continue because his client's guilty. The presiding judge tells him he's out of order to which Arthur yells back "No, YOU'RE out of order!" indicating to everybody that his comebacks have the wit of a 6-year old. Incredibly, the courtroom audience erupts in applause, give him a standing ovation, and the accused judge is seen with his head in his hands, all telling us, that the defendant will finally pay for his crimes. Unbelievable. I have seen more tactical argumentation from Creationists.
Arthur is then seen sitting on the steps of the courthouse where Jay, who is clearly wearing a wig, is ready to come in. Jay salutes Arthur by lifting his wig off like you would a hat as a gesture of politeness. This surreal scene tops anything in the movie. Even in his drunken foolishness, the director must have thought the same, which is why the credits started rolling right after... complete with bland disco beats! I would rather pour a generous coating of sweet honey over my naked genitals and offer them buffet-style to a hungry tribe of fire ants than ever watch this movie again. You have been warned.
Please note that this review contains multiple spoilers.
For instance, as a 1979 picture, studios wanted to be on the cutting edge of what was considered cool at the time and thus, instead of a dramatic symphonic soundtrack, we are greeted right from the get-go with disco grooves. Since this felt so out of place, it would have made sense to see John Travolta in a cameo as the introductory credits rolled by. Keep in mind this is a drama about a case where a woman is severely beaten and raped, so prompting the audience to snap its fingers and gyrate its hips to appease the brutality of the crime was a decision that the kindred spirit of Jeffrey Dahmer presiding over Columbia Pictures at the time reasonably took.
There are countless moments of total absence of logic that should baffle the mind of anybody with an IQ of 60 or higher.
For one, Pacino's character, "Arthur," is in jail overnight for trying to punch a judge in the face. There is no way that he would still be practicing law afterwards. However, due to the infinitely spotless track record of 24h jail timeouts, it makes sense to assume that Arthur has learned his lesson. Next, a woman on a committee that antagonizes Arthur falls for the lamest sober pickup attempt in film history, in spite of the fact that she's a foot taller and out of his league. I've witnessed fewer leaps of faith in Rambo. Then, they proceed to have yelling matches sporadically throughout the movie but are magically able to separate their professional and personal lives. I have witnessed better chemistry between a Nazi officer and a concentration camp prisoner.
Arthur's best friend is Jay who spends 2 scenes laughing exaggeratingly loud and long at an ironic element in the story. It had more weight and appeared more natural when Dr Evil did the same in Austin Powers. It is known later that a killer he freed on a technicality killed 2 children which upset him so that he took refuge at the end of a long hall with an endless stack of plates which he frisbeed at people who would approach him. This posed such a threat that 2 police officers unholstered their guns ready to shoot him. Later, he shaves his head (eat your heart out, Brittany Spears).
Arthur is blackmailed into to defending the judge he despises in spite of the fact that he's guilty because he could otherwise be disbarred on a technicality. Trying to hit a judge is bad but apparently not as bad as calling the cops because he thought a crazy client of his might kill people, which is a conflict of interest. Makes sense.
There is another judge in the story who is purely suicidal. He spend his lunches on the ledge of the 4th-floor, pilots helicopters with limited fuel supplies, and attempt to shoot his head off with a long rifle in his bathroom before court starts. Next to him, the Joker is the picture child for mental stability.
The climax of the movie is the courtroom scene where Arthur is making his opening statement. He stops midway and announces that he can't continue because his client's guilty. The presiding judge tells him he's out of order to which Arthur yells back "No, YOU'RE out of order!" indicating to everybody that his comebacks have the wit of a 6-year old. Incredibly, the courtroom audience erupts in applause, give him a standing ovation, and the accused judge is seen with his head in his hands, all telling us, that the defendant will finally pay for his crimes. Unbelievable. I have seen more tactical argumentation from Creationists.
Arthur is then seen sitting on the steps of the courthouse where Jay, who is clearly wearing a wig, is ready to come in. Jay salutes Arthur by lifting his wig off like you would a hat as a gesture of politeness. This surreal scene tops anything in the movie. Even in his drunken foolishness, the director must have thought the same, which is why the credits started rolling right after... complete with bland disco beats! I would rather pour a generous coating of sweet honey over my naked genitals and offer them buffet-style to a hungry tribe of fire ants than ever watch this movie again. You have been warned.