GUILTY AS SIN
A film review by David N. Butterworth
Copyright 1993 David N. Butterworth/The Summer Pennsylvanian
All too often in the movies we're presented with a tough, professional woman who, at the very first opportunity, acts both weak and unprofessional.
The latest example of this annoying trend is GUILTY AS SIN, a glossy yet run-of-the-mill courtroom drama from director Sidney Lumet, whose previous successes with this genre (12 ANGRY MEN, THE VERDICT, etc.) have been anything but routine. Although the film is entertaining despite its inconsistencies, your enjoyment of it will largely depend on your tolerance of logic loopholes.
GUILTY AS SIN is a drama very much in the JAGGED EDGE vein. In fact, as far as characterizations go, it's almost identical: we've got the hotshot, no-nonsense criminal lawyer who likes to win; we've got her experienced confidante and leg man who's a little rough around the edges; and we've got the charming accused, a handsome playboy who may or may not have murdered his wife. The only character missing from GUILTY AS SIN is the antagonistic prosecuting attorney. While this gives the film more time to concentrate on the relationship between the two leads, it leaves the cross-examination sequences a little top-heavy.
Rebecca De Mornay (THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE) plays Jennifer Haines, the successful defense attorney who knows what it takes to get her clients acquitted. She's well-dressed and confident, with a ballsy courtroom demeanor. De Mornay carries herself well in this picture, but in the courtroom scenes she's definitely guilty of bad posture.
When murder suspect David Greenhill asks her to defend him, she is inexplicably drawn to this suave and sophisticated womanizer (or is that ladykiller?). After some coy game-playing, Haines agrees to take the case.
Greenhill is played by Don Johnson, who's still trying to prove he's a "serious" actor since his big break on TV's MIAMI VICE. Greenhill comes across as a smarmy pig in GUILTY AS SIN, yet somehow the women in this film seem to be attracted to him. His patronizing badinage may be played for laughs, but it doesn't help explain why Haines is interested in this outrageous flirt.
As Greenhill begins to reveal less-than-desirable character traits, Haines finds herself trapped in a nightmare of attorney/client confidentiality, having to defend a man she suspects might be ... well, check out that title!
Jack Warden (THE VERDICT) plays Haines' longtime friend and investigative ally Moe Plimpton. Warden's presence is a constant reminder of just how good THE VERDICT was, and how good this movie might have been given a better script. Writer Larry Cohen, better known for his schlock horror screenplays, fails to give the characters any credibility, too often thrusting them into unbelievable situations and having them act inappropriately therein.
And for a thriller, there just aren't enough plot twists.
When Greenhill starts prying into Haines' personal life, she moves to drop the case. For a tough, experienced lawyer, severing this client relationship should not present a problem, yet Haines' handling of the situation is laughable. And later in the film, when it's clear why Greenhill has visited Plimpton in his dingy, flammable office, Moe fails to see that this ain't no social call. It's when the protagonists behave stupidly and out-of-character like this that GUILTY AS SIN really falls down.
As an actress, De Mornay is somewhat of a lightweight, but you can hardly blame her when the script calls for her to start blubbering and trembling whenever Johnson threatens. Johnson is actually quite good in his role, but again--decent acting is defeated by indecent writing.
For all its flaws, GUILTY AS SIN still manages to be entertaining in a trashy sort of way thanks to the enthusiastic performances of De Mornay and Johnson. The high production values also contribute to the film's appeal. But for all the dramatic possibilities inherent in the attorney/client relationship, there's not much to recommend here. There's not even a good sex scene (we do get to see De Mornay's legal briefs, but that's about it).
A year or even a week from now you won't be able to tell this film from any number of JAGGED EDGE clones--BODY OF EVIDENCE, GUILTY BY SUSPICION, SUSPECT, etc. GUILTY AS SIN is probably worth seeing on a slow night, but only if you want to keep things that way.
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