...And Justice for All
All team (56)
Short description
Arthur Kirkland is an idealistic defense attorney in Baltimore who believes in the system even as he watches it fail. Plea bargains and procedural shortcuts let the guilty walk, while a client of his ends up behind bars over a technicality. Then the worst assignment of his career lands on his desk: he is ordered to represent Judge Henry T. Fleming, a man he has clashed with and holds in contempt, who stands accused of rape. Refusing would cost Arthur his license, and defending a man he believes guilty would cost him his principles.
Norman Jewison directed the film, the tenth of the nineteen features he made, arriving between F.I.S.T. and A Soldier's Story. Barry Levinson and Valerie Curtin wrote the screenplay, and Jewison produced with Patrick J. Palmer. Al Pacino plays Arthur, with Jack Warden as Judge Francis Rayford, John Forsythe as Fleming, Lee Strasberg as Grandpa Sam, Christine Lahti as Gail Packer and Craig T. Nelson as Frank Bowers. Columbia Pictures backed the production on a budget of six million dollars, and it returned about thirty-three million worldwide.
Audiences have stayed warmer to the film than critics. On IMDb it holds 7.4/10 from roughly 45,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.1/10 from 619 votes, while the critics' rating stands at 6.6/10 from 36 reviews.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film's title comes from the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States (the word 'justice' in English can mean both fairness and legal justice).
- The idea for the film was inspired by the Metallica song '...And Justice For All'. The 1988 album containing the song also bore the same title.
- In some scenes, Jeffrey Tambor wore a wig. In subsequent scenes, he is shown bald, and since scenes are usually filmed out of order, Tambor first shaved his head for the scenes where he plays a bald man, and then had to wear a wig.
- During filming, Al Pacino often improvised. He enjoyed it, but memorizing lines from the script was difficult for him, and instead of scripted dialogue, he frequently delivered extemporaneous remarks. Rumor has it that Al Pacino's mentor, film director Lee Strasberg (1901-1982), once even told him: “Al, you fool, just learn your lines already!”. Many years later, Al Pacino admitted that it was wise advice.
- The scene in the coffee shop with Jack Warden and Al Pacino was filmed in 26 takes. It is said that Warden ate so much that he vomited.
- In preparation for his role, Al Pacino spoke with lawyers, read extensively about jurisprudence, and attended court proceedings.
- Even off the set, Al Pacino tried to stay in character, something he had become accustomed to while studying with Strasberg. Even during meal breaks, Pacino would refer to Strasberg as 'Grandpa' (referencing his role in the film).
- The final scene in the courthouse was filmed in one take.
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