2hotFeature one of my absolute favorites!

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Tyreece Hulme One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Kamila Bell This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

sol **SPOILER ALERT** Over-plotted and confusing crime conspiracy flick about the rich famous and infamous involved in a presidential campaign that's connected to the death of a major political contributers wild suicidal and drug addicted daughter.When Jana Calloway,Sandra Guibord, is found brutally murdered in her outdoor gazebo all the evidence points to up and coming rap singer Bobby Madena, Wade Dominguez, a former drug dealer who was last seen with her at a local L.A night club. An open and shut case at first Madena gets top defense attorney Kitt Devereux, Malanie Griffith,to defend him. This throws the entire case into limbo for the overconfident D.A, Kitt's ex-husband, Jack Campioni, Tom Berenger, who's representing the state. Madena is anything but helpful to Kitt in refusing to take a manslaughter rap, that Kitt agreed to, that would end up putting him behind bars for eight years instead life or the gas chamber if he's convicted of murder one. Protesting his innocence Madena want's to go all the way to a jury trail refusing to admit to a crime that he didn't commit. Jana's father Norman Calloway, James Karen, is a major contributor to Senator Paul Saxon's, James Morrison, presidential campaign and it later turns out that the senator was more then just a friend of Jana. Saxon was involved in a love affair with Jana that, when he threatened to break it off,lead to her attempted suicide.The fact that Madena has a very good chance of getting off with Jana's murder is stymied with him not laying low and keeping out of trouble. Madena first opens his big mouth on a tabloid TV show about his past as a macho man and woman abuser that doesn't help his case at all. Later Madena is found stoned out of his skull with his girlfriend Bridget Paul, Kimberley Kates, dead from a stab wound next to him in her home that's an exact replica of the Jana Calloway murder. All these sordid events turn out to be connected to Senator Saxon who's family and close supporters will go to any lengths to keep his presidential campaign from self-destructing with his secret relationship with Jana being exposed in Bobby Madena's trial.Kitt who's determined to get her client Bobby Madena off, knowing that he's innocent,is now being blackmailed by a former client Laird Atkins, Craig Sheffer, an accused rapist that she got off. Atkins not only admitted that he indeed raped the person whom he was indited for and found innocent of sexually assaulting but also had a sexual affair with Kitt which, if it became public, can have her law licenses suspended. Atkins is also being used by the Saxon crowd to keep Kitt from implicating their man, Senator Paul Saxon, in Jana's murder. The truth is a lot more sinister and evil then even Kitt could have ever suspected in that it was not just the senator who were behind Jana Calloway murder it was the states top law enforcer who actually committed it! The ending of the movie with Madena being exonerated of both Jana and Bridgets murders is a total cop-out with Kitt getting her hands on a very flimsy piece of evidence that reveals who Jana's killer, Bridget was murdered by Atkins, really is. The unbelievably conclusion of the film will satisfy those of us who like to see justice done to powerful criminals in high places but seeing it happen you just know that it's straight out of fantasy land.

gridoon Not every actor was meant to play every role. Richard Gere, for example, was ideal as a high-profile, hotshot lawyer in "Primal Fear"; Melanie Griffith plays the female version of more or less the exact same role here, and she makes a valiant try, but the result is just posing, not acting. The film is watchable, thanks mostly to good direction by Randal Kleiser, who gives it the look and feel of a picture destined for theatrical release, even though it barely got any. But it is weakly plotted, and relies on all sorts of contrivances to move along (criminals who are carelessly spilling their guts out about crimes they committed, etc.). And what's worse, it doesn't play fair with the audience; the resolution is based on clues we had no way of knowing about. At least Tom Berenger proves that he is still a dependable actor. (**)

TangoLady Huey Lewis caught my attention in this movie. His high-tech detective was fun. The rest was fairly predictable. The production values kept it from sinking too low into obscurity. The houses were certainly a large part of the film and should have gotten credits.

bigar-2 I tried watching this movie a few times already, but the 'acting' of the leading lady is so awful, I start laughing so much the whole building shakes. Other times I have to stop watching because I feel sick every time miss Griffith comes into the picture. Please make a 'director's cut' that removes all scenes with Melanie Griffith and then I will be able to watch this movie to the end.The acting is so terrible I don't even know what the movie is about. I'm giving this one 1 out of 10 and that still one point to many.