Once an ambitious prosecutor in the D.A.'s office, attorney Glenn Close has gotten out because of the disgust she feels towards the type of cases she took on. A truly brutal and frightening murder opens up the film and leads to the prosecution of the victim's husband (Jeff Bridges) who pleads innocent and convinces Close to take the case. Former D.A. colleague Peter Coyote takes on the challenge of prosecuting Bridges, but Close has a ton of tricks up her sleeve.
Sometimes horrifying in its description of a revolting rape and murder, this often becomes distracted by the drama surrounding Close's family life. A subplot surrounding the suicide of somebody she helped prosecute years before could have been a separate film altogether.
One of the mistakes that this film makes is having Bridges and Close sleep together, an obvious violation of legal ethics. This is interesting from the perspective of showing a woman utilizing both power and ethics in a man's profession, but it becomes pretty clear what's going on half way through. Performances are excellent, particularly Robert Loggia as Close's investigator and John Dehner as the judge. Perhaps some less obvious plot ploys could have been utilized to make it all the more fathomable.
Sometimes horrifying in its description of a revolting rape and murder, this often becomes distracted by the drama surrounding Close's family life. A subplot surrounding the suicide of somebody she helped prosecute years before could have been a separate film altogether.
One of the mistakes that this film makes is having Bridges and Close sleep together, an obvious violation of legal ethics. This is interesting from the perspective of showing a woman utilizing both power and ethics in a man's profession, but it becomes pretty clear what's going on half way through. Performances are excellent, particularly Robert Loggia as Close's investigator and John Dehner as the judge. Perhaps some less obvious plot ploys could have been utilized to make it all the more fathomable.