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-/lywifre— P ■ Justice for All triumphs » Pacino tackles Jurisprudence by Thomas R. Cocola meets-girl plot Arthur dates a beautiful young lawyer named Gail (Christine Lahti) who happens to be on the ethics committee investigating Arthur Arthur refers to the committee as \a dangerous farce,\ while Gail disagrees The two argue, and then go to bed. A scorecard would help here. - All this action makes . . . And justice For All a collage and it's a well written, well acted, and well organized collage The potpourri of plots provide writers Valerie Curtin and Barry Levinson with outlets to attack our allegedly democratic judicial system in many ways From the very first scene, Curtin and Levinson come out fighting, and their punches rarely miss Nor does Kirkland The first scene has him in jail, serving out a contempt-of-court charge after punching Judge Fleming This scene and its action give us an indication of the qualities of our hero he is a battler, emotional and intense When he leaves One can not help but feel sorry for Arthur Kirkland (Al Pacino) in . . And justice for All He is an estranged young lawyer engulfed by a putrid judicial system and a heavy caseload. prison, he enters a world that lacks the order of the world behind bars. Lawbreakers are running amuck, and judges only seem interested in punishing black, male adolescents Is there justice for all? Hardly There are enough plots here to reincarnate television's \Petrocelli disinterest in the man. He winds up in jail. One would hope this i* not the way a lawyer really feels about his clients, but these plausible realities haunt And s justice For All. other is found guilty of his crime Seven major plots are in this movie, all revolving around Kirkland He defends a black transvestite (Robert Christian), and a man sent to jail for When Kirkland decides to defend Judge Fleming against the rape charge, he talks to the prosecuting district attorney. The DA refers to the case as \The Super Bowl,\ and to himself as a Winning isn't everything ... T|je plots unfold to show glaring weaknesses in the judicial system and the sick, win-crazed intentions of Kirkland's contemporaries. The black transvestite is. accused of armed robbery It is his first offense, and he wasn't exactly the master mind behind the crime. He should only receive probation, but an ambitious lawyer filling in for Kirkland ruins the case out of driving with a faulty headlight (Thomas Waites). Kirkland consoles his guilt-ridden partner Jay after a murderer defended by Jay shows his gratitude by slaughtering two children shortly after his The two judges offer a study m contrast. The suicidal judge is obsessed with self- inflicted pain, while the other judge likes to humiliate and hurt others, as evidenced by a rape charge against him.Both judges are unfit to wear the black robes of justice, although it seems they'll be quarterback Kirkland brilliantly and ironically paraphrases Vince Lombardi, as he looks at his colleague with disgust and proclaims \winning is the only thing.\ In a courtroom with such inept judges and disturbed lawyers, Kirkland must worry primarily about surviving, not winning. release. Then Kirkland visits his senile grandfather (Lee Strasberg). There also are the two judges. Finally, there's the boy- judges forever unless one does commit suicide and the Study in contrast The plots that seem insignificant are the domestic, or non-legal plots. At first glance, the boy-girl relationship seems irrelevant The film wants us to know Arthur enjoys sexual pleasures But there is much more going on, however, as the two lovers offer another study in contrast Arthur seems puzzled by the whole legal system he looks for a possible way out, and is always questioning his importance in society if he makes a living defending guilty criminals. Conversely, Gail assumes a more stoic attitude. Shfe calmly accepts her environment, and tells Arthur not to worry. \It's your job to defend guilty people,\ she rationalizes, \and you do it well Accept your value.\ Accepting any values are hard for Arthur at this point Devastating satire Al Pacino is simply brilliant in this production Robert De Niro and Pacino are the actors of the seventies, and Pacino's portrayal of Kirkland adds to his list of impressive performances for the decade: Frank Serpico in Serpico, Michael in The Godfather I and II, and the confused homosexual bank robber in Dog Day Afternoon. His presence makes this great movie outstanding, and he is aptly supported by John Forsythe, Jack Warden and all the other actors It is refreshing to see Norman Jewison producing quality films again. He hasn't made a film this good since In The Heat of The Night, the Oscar- winning film which also dealt with problems within the American legal and judicial systems. Jewison should win a \best comeback\ Oscar, for his last attempt at a film was Sylvester Stallone's claim to self-deification, F.I.S.T. The movie's ending is an unexpected pleasure, and it epitomizes the suspense, comedy, and unpredictability evident throughout the entire film. And justice For All reminds us like Paddy Cheyevsky's Network and The Hospital: it launches a devastating satiric attack on a seemingly omnipotent American institution It should not be missed
