Instant Favorite.

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

I will never know why some writers and directors ruin what was a good film with scenes that could not happen.When you have a courtroom drama where the Judge rules that witnesses have committed perjury it would be necessary for that judge to sign arrest warrants for the transgressors and this is totally ignored and has a detrimental effect in that some scenes that follow just could not happen.It is important in a courtroom drama that the film is accurate in respect of some legal matters so when it is not then in reality it spoils the whole film. It is well acted so the fact that the writer/director lets the cast down in this way is particularly annoying.

There's no sign that the funding came from the Alcoholics Anonymous cult, but the film is entirely focused on pushing the POV of the cult.The acting is pretty bad, and the plot trite and obvious from the start - there are plot inconsistencies all over the place, but it's a bit tedious to point them out. Essentially, the plot is not properly thought-through. That's because it's not really necessary, the whole idea is to show somebody going against the AA cult, then being redeemed by it.Propaganda films like this should really say who has funded them and reveal the fact that they are propaganda - it is dishonest not to.The real reason it's a bad film is just exactly that, it's polemic, it's propaganda, it's not engaging with the audience because it's too busy preaching.We only watched this because I didn't see the IMDb score - never ever rely on what iTunes says about something - come to IMDb and check what real people have said.

Cate (Kate Beckinsale) is a lawyer on probation. She is also an alcoholic, and is fighting for custody of her daughter. Cate is assigned to defend Lacey Stubbs (Anna Anissimova) who has been accused of murder and was also raped by a prison guard. Wouldn't it be nice to see a good drama where the hero or heroine isn't a recovering alcoholic, a druggy, in a custody fight, is argumentative and also somewhat of a loose canon? Well, dream on this is what sells today. Hey, I bought it (okay rented it). Hollywood likes heroes with warts because they believe everyone has warts. Oh, all that doesn't apply to Cate, but some of it does. Anyway, this is a good drama about a driven lawyer who has personal problems that she needs to overcome. Keep in mind the title above as the word TRIALS is pertinent. It's plural. In the beginning she says she doesn't concern herself if her client is guilty or innocent, and later has a change of heart, but can she overcome the politics, lies, the good old boys and the system?Oh, the language: As I got into this I couldn't help think that Ms Beckinsale took the role so she could spew F-bombs all over the place. She seemed to relish in this. I may be wrong, but there were too many F-bombs by her. Too many. Ms Beckinsale does a very credible job without going overboard into melancholy or self-pity. OK, maybe a little bit. She carries this movie perfectly. Still, this is a good drama with a very good supporting cast with special shout-outs going to James Cromwell, and Nick Nolte who are always good. Although this is a very good drama James Cromwell makes it even better. Am beginning to think of him as the best actor in Hollywood and this is with apologies to Clint Eastwood who says Morgan Freeman is the best actor on the planet. Hey, there's room for both. Now, I need to go see what I can do about my warts. HA ! (7/10)Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes, too much of it.

I think nowadays there's a shortage of these kind of movies, the last good one was The Lincoln Lawyer (which is quite similar to this one). It's the same recipe again: let's add a little personal drama (Cate could lose her daughter due to her alcoholism), an almost impossible case (female murderer from death row appeals, and Cate gets to defend her), an old case, where the character made the wrong decision, and the courtroom drama is ready.But I think, this movie is using these "clichés" very well to create a good story. The main character has motivations, inner conflicts, and these are very well correlating with the main storyline and the whole message of the story. It's not something I should praise, but frankly, most movies are lacking this.Anyway, the courtroom case is interesting, both the mood and the pace of the movie are satisfying, so I think it's quite enjoyable and also makes you think. And last, but not least, Kate Beckinsale convinced me, that she's not a bad actress, she just needs a good character to play.If you liked Fracture or The Lincoln Lawyer, this one is for you.