Movie reviews

ADWOKAT W ROLI GLOWNEJ (ADVOCATE IN THE LEADING ROLE)

KOBIETY ADWOKATURY

Watchable. A documentary made, as far as I'm aware, by a lawyer. Very neat and organised. The presented female advocats just sit and talk. They stress the importance of their lawyer parents, their own devotion to the profession and their involvement in human rights cases.

BRIDGE OF SPIES (2015)

Recommended again. "Aren't you worried?" "Would it help?" is one of my fave lines, appearing three times in this film (I counted this time), it's also one of the most clever life lessons ever. Lots of other jokes, e.g.: "I wonder who they'll send to identify me." "Not your East German family I hope. I doubt they could identify each other." Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance in their top roles. And a very, very clever plot. I guess I could see it a couple more times still enjoying it.

I skipped "Chicago" which I had walked out from years ago as well as "A Few Good Men" and "Eric Brockovich" which I had seen a number of times and remembered all too well.

RUNAWAY JURY (2004)

Watchable. Chaotic at first but full of ingenious court tricks which look quite realistic, who knows, might come in handy. Kept me on the edge of my seat nevertheless. Simply the tension of which way the verdict would sway was enough. And there's a surprise towards the end. Likeable characters, some anyway.

AMISTAD (1998)

Watchable. One of the best closing statements ever tells about freedom being our natural state because it's when we lose it that we fight to get it back. Anthony Hopkins is marvellous: first a nebbish ex-president only to turn into a prominent barrister. Sadly no other actor is. It shows some interesting ways of finding an interpreter (counting to ten in the language going through a market) and of misperceiving certain behaviours across cultures. It's just that the actors seems to be random people with no skills and the story jumps to and fro. But if you sit through all the disarray, you get rewarded with a memorable speech by Anthony Hopkins as an attorney.

WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1957)

Watchable. Agatha Christie, on whose book it's based, liked dressing up her baddies and so is the case here. It is standard Agatha Christie: involving yet predictable. The true gem are the dialogues between the mischevious drunk/smart barrister and his maid, just like the ones between Miss Marple and hers and just to what lenghts he goes to hide his smoking and drinking - truly amusing.