Rating: 
Summary: Dark atmosphere and gripping storyline.
Review: A rainy, dark Savannah, Georgia during a hurricane provide a backdrop for this film. Parts of the story are weak, but the acting takes you through them all to a final scene that is exciting and satisfying.
Rating:
Summary: Predictable and quite entertaining.
Review: A Savannah lawyer is defending a beautiful client from her father. He got involved with the client. The plot twist is quite predictable but nevertheless this is quite entertaining film based on John Grisham story. Another high point of the DVD is the exceptional sound quality in 5.1. Even though this movie doesn't have many action scenes, but the sound of passing trucks, rains and so on are very realistic.
Rating: 
Summary: what a suspensful thrill ride!
Review: alright, i've read some of the reviews and i have to disagree with most of the comments. i came into this movie, thinking it wouldn't be all that good, but i was blown away! i mean i admit it was SORT OF a drag @ FIRST...but then it REALLY sped up! i mean, who woulda thought that it would twist the way it did i didn't suspect what would happen til the very end. seeing as to embeth davidtz is british, her accent was FABULOUS!!! i can't say anything about the accents being STRAIGHT on, cuz i mean i'm not a dialect coach or anything, but they sounded good to me. no one said anything about necessity as far as the accents and the rain go. the rain added for complications in the end...like the whole cell phone bit (he woulda heard the cell on the phone if the rain hadn't been comin' down and wind blowin' so hard...plus the accents add flavor to the story. it's like, what's the point of making ppl speak with british dialects when they're in london, ya know what i mean?! okay, kenneth branagh, best known for his wonderful adaptations of shakespeare...did a REALLY good job in something different for him. i liked his performance a lot. daryll hannah...she was fabulous as alwayz...she seems to alwayz do the best with her characters. she's definately a favorite of mine. famke janssen...needs to do more work...good of course, but not enough in this to see her actual acting potential. robert duvall...pyscho no shoe man...hehehe....it would be interesting to see him in more psychotic roles, don't you all think?! robert downey jr....last but not least. i have to say he's a personal fave of mine...alwayz has been. he has a way with roles...where he would make an otherwise boring lifeless role and bring it to life. as an aspiring actress myself...it does me well to watch and learn. he did that with his character. i mean, you could SOOO tell he was a drunk! and i mean he didn't walk funny or anything like that, but you could tell...it was good. ~anywayz~ all in all good movie. it occasionally comes on usa, i would catch it if you can. i really liked it! :)
Rating: 
Summary: I didn't like this one
Review: Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. My opinion about this movie is not a good one. I watched it with a group of friends and none of us particulary cared for it. It was very slow, predictable. The scenes were dark and there was alot of mumbling among characters. Being from the south, I have to disagree with another reviewer here, I don't think the lead character did a very good southern accent. Robert Downey Jr. actually had it pegged a bit better, in my opinion. I can see how some would like this movie, I generally like movies of this type, which of course is why I rented it. It just didn't interest me at all.
Rating: 
Summary: A COMPLETE WASTE OF 2 HOURS
Review: How can a project with so many highly reputable names attached to it be so terrible? This movie was so bad, I had to pause it twice and take a break just to get to through it.The only part of this movie worth watching are the first 30-40 minutes. The cinematography is nice and that part of the movie is just set-up. However, once the story gets going, the viewer is asked to suspend his/her disbelief way too much and too often. SKIP IT.
Rating:
Summary: Decent thriller
Review: I am inclined to like Robert Altman. I like the way he paces his movies, with dialog overlapping and little quirky comments. I like that. I like the impressive cast that he always gathers. And I liked this film well enough. I thought the storm element in this film was perfectly appropriate. It added a noir touch that I appreciated. The dialog has a sense of humor that was a treat. Cinematography is excellent, and I loved the moody score by Mark Isham. The story is well-paced, and intriquing. I was engrossed until the end. The cast is impressive and everyone does a great job. Branagh does a great Southern accent, and his character was believable as a somewhat cocky lawyer. I especially liked Robert Downey Jr.'s character-he was just right as Branagh's easy-going, flirty bar-hopping associate. Robert Duvall is also wonderful as a creepy old coot who doesn't like to wear shoes. An excellent, well-chosen cast. A well-told mystery film. A solid offering.
Rating:
Summary: Quite a film
Review: I am not a big fan of either Robert Altman or John Grisham, but I was going out with some friends and this was the only movie in town that none of us had seen. I was riveted. The use of the color red is reminiscent of the great movie "Don't Look Now." Branagh gives a wonderful performance as a great lawyer who was a so-so husband and becomes a good father through the course of the movie. There isn't a pretentious moment in it. As a southerner by birth, I was the only one of my friends to laugh through the party scene at the beginning. It was dead accurate.
Rating:
Summary: Underrated Altman gem!
Review: I can remember seeing this movie in an almost empty theater when it came out. It's a shame because this is really a well-made, intriguing thriller that only Robert Altman could make. Rumour has it, he completely demolished John Grisham's original story and basically did his own thing--which is what Altman is famous for. The results? An unusual mystery that gets under your skin with characters that are flawed and always interesting to watch. Much was made about Kenneth Branagh's Southern accent... or lack thereof. To tell you the truth, it really didn't bother me all that much and I think he pulled it off. He certainly is a flawed character, vain, self-absorbed but through the course of the movie he certainly learns his lesson as his whole world gets tossed upside down. This movie really is about human behaviour as opposed to a concrete A to B to C linear plot. The mystery is really just window dressing to get all of these characters together and see what happens. As always, Altman has assembled a top notch cast with the likes of Daryl Hannah (?!) and Tom Berenger plucked out of obscurity for solid performances. Robert Duvall also turns up as a crazed hobo character. He makes the most of his limited screen time. And of course, good ol' reliable Robert Downey, Jr. turns in another wonderfully eccentric turn as a slightly-sleazy private detective who's buddies with Branagh's character. He steals every scene that he's in. The DVD is quite good. The audio and video is excellent. As another reviewer pointed out, if you have a surround sound set-up it feels like the tropical storm in the movie is all around you. Altman really knows how to build atmosphere and suggest a specific place. This is a really good movie. Very underrated and worth a look.
Rating:
Summary: UTTERLY ILLOGICAL.
Review: I cannot believe that a Robert Altman film based on a John Grisham manuscript could be so completely ridiculous. Three of the major characters do things that are simply stupid. Kenneth Branagh plays attorney Rick Magruder. How in the world this guy ever passed his bar exam is beyond me because he is about as intelligent as most farm animals. One of my favorite parts in the movie comes when he is supposed to be protecting his kids from a psycho killer. How does he do that? Let's see...he doesn't ask for any help from the authorities. He doesn't make sure that he isn't being followed. He then takes his kids to a hotel and puts them alone in an unlocked room with the drapes open so anyone can look inside and come inside. Real smart. There were two other HUGE plot holes. I would really like to share them but they happen toward the end of the movie and I don't want to ruin anything if you actually decide to watch this film. However...please be warned! If you are expecting an intelligent suspense movie since it has the Grisham name attached to it then you will be gravely disappointed. Branagh ends up becoming the equivalent of Rambo with a nicer wardrobe. This film takes a long, boring time building up to a silly and unbelievable ending. Making this movie was the real crime.
Rating:
Summary: UTTERLY ILLOGICAL.
Review: I cannot believe that a Robert Altman film based on a John Grisham manuscript could be so completely ridiculous. Three of the major characters do things that are simply stupid. Kenneth Branagh plays attorney Rick Magruder. How in the world this guy ever passed his bar exam is beyond me because he is about as intelligent as most farm animals. One of my favorite parts in the movie comes when he is supposed to be protecting his kids from a psycho killer. How does he do that? Let's see...he doesn't ask for any help from the authorities. He doesn't make sure that he isn't being followed. He then takes his kids to a hotel and puts them alone in an unlocked room with the drapes open so anyone can look inside and come inside. Real smart. There were two other HUGE plot holes. I would really like to share them but they happen toward the end of the movie and I don't want to ruin anything if you actually decide to watch this film. However...please be warned! If you are expecting an intelligent suspense movie since it has the Grisham name attached to it then you will be gravely disappointed. Branagh ends up becoming the equivalent of Rambo with a nicer wardrobe. This film takes a long, boring time building up to a silly and unbelievable ending. Making this movie was the real crime.
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