ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Kodie Bird True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Janis One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

TxMike This is a good, intense drama. Cate is a trial lawyer, a very good one, but the title reference is more to the trials that she faces as a person. She once won a case that sent a man to prison, but he was later released when new evidence was discovered. Now she may be getting a murderer out of prison on faulty testimony. We see that she is on probation, ostensibly for activity related to alcohol abuse. She has also lost custody of her young daughter and sees a shrink to work on her issues and get her daughter back. And she goes to AA meetings.As part of her restitution she is given a pro-bono case, a woman is serving a life sentence for murder but some questions regarding false testimony and suppression of key evidence cast doubt, Cate is asked to investigate and see if a new trial is in order.The movie only works if the main character, Kate Beckinsale as Cate McCall, is really authentic all the way through, and she is. Also her sponsor, Nick Nolte as old lawyer Bridges, must be equally convincing, and he is.SPOILERS: Cate uncovers many irregularities and before a judge that had been a professor of hers declares the woman free. But she soon discovers the woman really was guilty, she finds a loophole that would allow the DA to bring it up again. And, in the end, she rejects a high-powered job and partnership to move to Seattle to be near her ex-husband and her young daughter, putting her priorities where she can be happy.

leonblackwood Review: I really enjoyed this intense courtroom drama about a top lawyer who takes on a case to try and free a girl from jail after being sentenced to life for murder. Although the evidence against the accused is full of lies and deceit, there still lies the question about the girls true innocence. I liked the different twists and turns throughout the movie and the performances made the movie intense and emotional. You really don't know what direction this movie is going to take because the lawyer is also a recovering alcoholic who is fighting to get custody of her little girl. When everything becomes a bit too much for the stressed out lawyer, she turns to Nick Note for guidance, who was a great choice by the director. Anyway, I didn't lose my interest throughout the movie because it's not predictable and it doesn't seem to drag, so I can honestly say that it's worth a watch. Enjoyable!Round-Up: It's weird watching Kate Beckinsale in a straight role after watching her shooting zombies and kicking butt in the Underworld franchise. She has starred in many top movies like The Aviator, Pearl Harbor and Total Recall but she still seems to stay under the Hollywood radar. Nick Nolte has also been out of the spotlight lately, which is a shame because I always rated him as an actor. Anyway, the whole cast performed well in this intense drama, but it didn't seem to have got a major release so it's another one of those films that will be under rated.Budget: $7million Worldwide Gross: N/AI recommend this movie to people who are into there intense courtroom dramas about a big time lawyer who has some serious personal issues but she still takes on a case to try and save a girl from her life sentence for murder. 6/10

bob-rutzel-1 Cate (Kate Beckinsale) is a lawyer on probation. She is also an alcoholic, and is fighting for custody of her daughter. Cate is assigned to defend Lacey Stubbs (Anna Anissimova) who has been accused of murder and was also raped by a prison guard. Wouldn't it be nice to see a good drama where the hero or heroine isn't a recovering alcoholic, a druggy, in a custody fight, is argumentative and also somewhat of a loose canon? Well, dream on this is what sells today. Hey, I bought it (okay rented it). Hollywood likes heroes with warts because they believe everyone has warts. Oh, all that doesn't apply to Cate, but some of it does. Anyway, this is a good drama about a driven lawyer who has personal problems that she needs to overcome. Keep in mind the title above as the word TRIALS is pertinent. It's plural. In the beginning she says she doesn't concern herself if her client is guilty or innocent, and later has a change of heart, but can she overcome the politics, lies, the good old boys and the system?Oh, the language: As I got into this I couldn't help think that Ms Beckinsale took the role so she could spew F-bombs all over the place. She seemed to relish in this. I may be wrong, but there were too many F-bombs by her. Too many. Ms Beckinsale does a very credible job without going overboard into melancholy or self-pity. OK, maybe a little bit. She carries this movie perfectly. Still, this is a good drama with a very good supporting cast with special shout-outs going to James Cromwell, and Nick Nolte who are always good. Although this is a very good drama James Cromwell makes it even better. Am beginning to think of him as the best actor in Hollywood and this is with apologies to Clint Eastwood who says Morgan Freeman is the best actor on the planet. Hey, there's room for both. Now, I need to go see what I can do about my warts. HA ! (7/10)Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes, too much of it.

moeursalen Most things that occur in life have happened before so you could say that anything depicted in film is a cliché. Love, murder, war, courtroom drama. . . What scenes, played out on the screen, haven't you been exposed to before? The interesting thing about legal dramas are the characters involved--who they are, what they think, and of course, what they do. And then there is always the question of justice itself. Was justice actually done? Usually the answer is "no," and it is especially "no" here, just like it too often is "no" in real life.One of the basic themes in this one is that the guilty are found innocent and the innocent are found guilty. The gullible participants are manipulated into mistaken conclusions, much as we are in real life. Of course, RL is a bit more shady than the simplifications required by the medium of film. It doesn't matter much though, because Kate Beckingsale would be interesting even if she were reading the dictionary.I admit to being a longtime Kate Beckingsale fanboy but there's no point in offering any resistance to her charms considering she's also a terrific actor and carries the lead role admirably. I don't know the judge's real name but he's perfect too and has played that authoritarian part in many films/TV shows requiring the wise old and lecherous legal beagle. Nick Nolte gets to play a good guy, something of a mentor to former alcoholic Cate. You've heard that one before but there are some really funny exchanges between them, particularly the one where she jokes she'll let Nolte "do" her if helps with the legal case. I'd be glad to help, too. Unfortunately, she's joking.Whomever conceived this film did the right thing in showcasing Beckinsale. Her character is mercurial and she alternates among a series of different poses. There's the svelte, buttoned up lawyer, the disintegrating recovering alcoholic, a Pollyanna, and prosecutor, the tough broad, and the weepy mom end of a failed marriage. For all of that, the plot twists and back stories are rather too plentiful. That seems to be a tendency in films today. Nonetheless, I 'd watch the film again, and I think I will.