After a technicality results in the release of a man being tried for the rape and murder of a young woman, her father murders the man. Admitting his guilt and refusing to use temporary insanity, the father places his attorney in a virtual no-win situation. In an extreme effort, the attorney decides to call the judge who released the murderer originally and to challenge the entire legal system that would permit such a travesty.
Acting
Robert Preston's volcanic grief anchors every scene.
Writing
Dialogue that weaponizes legal procedure against itself.
Director
Walter Grauman
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Walter Grauman's final film after decades directing TV movies and series like Murder, She Wrote.
The 'temporary insanity' defense was culturally radioactive in the 1980s post-Hinckley era, making Riordan's rejection of it politically loaded.
US
