68
Metascore
26 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90NewsweekDavid AnsenNewsweekDavid AnsenZaillian's meaty movie, at once bleak and hopeful, speaks volumes about the maddening distance between justice and the justice system.
- 90New Times (L.A.)Bill GalloNew Times (L.A.)Bill GalloNot just another lawyer movie, but rather one of the most striking dramas of the year.
- 80Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranComes close, achingly close, to greatness.
- 80TimeRichard SchickelTimeRichard SchickelA smart, tough, yet curiously moving film.
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliA courtroom drama which is sufficiently different and thought-provoking that I can recommend it with a clear conscience.
- 70VarietyEmanuel LevyVarietyEmanuel LevyA solid and intelligent legal thriller that may be too complex in its issues, and too low-key and unexciting in its style, for today's market demands.
- 67Austin ChronicleRussell SmithAustin ChronicleRussell SmithThe underlying problem is the mainstream film format's length constraints, which seem to have forced a rude bowdlerization of the story.
- 60Film.comJohn HartlFilm.comJohn HartlAll the ingredients are here for both a smashing courtroom drama and a legitimate tearjerker, but the film ultimately doesn't have the technique or the heart to deliver either.
- 60Washington PostMichael O'SullivanWashington PostMichael O'SullivanA jaundiced view of litigation, however authentic, is not necessarily the stuff of great drama, even of the legal-thriller variety, which by definition is confined to a claustrophobic courtroom.
- 50Village VoiceJ. HobermanVillage VoiceJ. HobermanA slick, shameless job that takes way too long to make its point.