Anatomy of a Murder

One of the great courtroom dramas and superbly acted by James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara and George C Scott. A lengthy film but never dull. Nice soundtrack as well. Otto Preminger at the top of his game.

Success in 2 2/3 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Starring James Stewart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At 2:40 minutes was worried about the structure and pacing of the movie. Pacing, acting and story was great.

Classic courtroom drama thanks to a superb cast and straight forward direction that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The actors are excellent, with Jimmy Stewart superb as a defense attorney with some shades of gray (he outright tells his client to come up with a defense for his reason to commit murder) while still staying charming throughout. He gets great support from the rest of the cast, especially George C. Scott as a dogged prosecutor who matches him in the courtroom. Behind the camera, Otto Preminger delivers a superb courtroom drama that is more matter of fact but with plenty of twists and turns. Best of all, you never sure if the defendant is guilty of murder or not, and even leans towards him being guilty. Despite that, you still root for him and his attorneys, making for legal drama at its very best.

It may seem crazy for me to root against Jimmy Stewart and instead look at George C. Scott as the hero of the story. Alas, that is the way I see the story. That isn't what the filmmakers had in mind, but I can't help but see it that way. All the evidence the audience is given in the movie seems to imply that the two people Stewart is defending are guilty. I guess that is the way lawyers work. They are not always defending innocent people, more often than not, they will have to defend the guilty. I knew that this movie was controversial for its time but looking back it is pretty tame by today's standards. I found it amusing to hear the crowd scoff and awe by the mention of the word "panties". As well as hearing the late 50's jargon for "tight" and "masher". Good ol' Jimmy is charming as always, even in his best attempts to be a hard-nosed no-nonsense lawyer. He does a good job, and it is his plight to run a successful law firm that keeps me engaged through the story. Because the people he's defending are definitely guilty. The whole premise of the story is that Fredrick Manion is accused of murdering someone...which he did. But Stewart's defense is that Manion was getting revenge for his wife, so that makes it OK. The rest of the court case is distracted by trying to prove whether or not his anger was justified. Laura Manion claims the victim raped her. I guess they figure if they can prove that he did, the murder is therefore justified...which it isn't but that is what we're going with. The trial is still an interesting one. The lawyers have a fascinating back and forth, and you really get the idea that it is like a verbal chess match. All the actors do a good job at making memorable and interesting characters. I just find it hard to ignore the fact that I don't get behind the main conflict of the story.

Still stunning as it entertaining 60 years since it was first reased. James Stewart is explosive and takes the viewer throughout the journey with precise realism.

A great court room drama. It may be a little dated in the “hip “ style but overall a very good movie. Older movies can sometimes suffer from pacing problems, this might be guilty in the set up to the courtroom scenes but not overly and it does not go to far. Jimmy Stewart and George C Scott battling in the court room is so good.

Great courtroom drama with a superb cast. Its a rarity in that it actual gets most of the law right. Smart engrossing with a great twist at the end that will leave you thinking.

Rating: 8/10. 81/100

Classic and accurate courtroom drama by Otto Preminger with great performances by James Stewart and George C. Scott in his first notable role