A slick, lively, pacey and sometimes even funny courtroom thriller, with an intense and commanding performance by James Woods in the leading role (he nearly wipes Robert Downey Jr. off the screen; only Kurtwood Smith matches his intensity). To be honest, it's not that much better than a very well-made episode of a TV series (and perhaps fittingly, it spawned one, albeit short-lived), and the plot has holes in it, but the screenwriter, Wesley Strick, and the director, Joseph Ruben, get a grip on the viewer right from the start and never let go. Vivid on-location New York filming; flavorful score by Brad Fiedel ("The Terminator"). *** out of 4.
Review of True Believer
