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Michael Douglas plays a young judge (very young, "not even old enough to shave," says a colleague) who is forced to throw out the case of a serial killer preying on welfare recipients. The gun the suspect tried to trash is tied to the crimes, his apartment contained the property of the victims--plus, he confessed! The trouble is, the detectives didn't have a warrant to search the contents of the garbage truck, forcing a legal loophole that allows a vicious killer back on the streets. Similar cases have plagued numerous other judges who have formed a secret panel, The Star Chamber, one that frustrated Douglas is soon invited to join. Tense, underrated crime-drama from director Peter Hyams, who also co-wrote the script with Roderick Taylor from Taylor's original treatment. The narrative is engrossing, and Hyams rarely lets his pacing flag. Douglas (not my candidate for a judge--maybe an overworked law student) is colorless, but Hal Holbrook gets another of his showy, shady roles and the supporting cast is uniformly excellent. **1/2 from ****
score 6/10
moonspinner55 21 August 2017
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3786129/ |
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23-2-2021 18:05:19