| Playwright-turned-filmmaker
David Mamet (The Spanish Prisoner) has, in
his previous pictures, created gritty, urban
crime dramas full of seedy characters that
bombard viewers with machine-gun-like expletives
and unpredictable double-crosses. So why would
Mamet, who until now had written each of his
directorial efforts, adapt Terence Rattigan's
1946 stage play for his next film project? It doesn’t
matter - Mamet’s leap into the period genre
is magnificent. The story, set in 1912, focuses
on a real-life incident in turn-of-the-century
England in which the 13-year-old son of a wealthy
London banker is accused of stealing a five-pound
postal note and is unduly expelled from the posh
Osbourne Naval College. Ronnie (Guy Edwards)
continues to profess his innocence, earning the
support of his pop (Nigel Hawthorne, The
Madness of King George) and sis (Rebecca
Pidgeon, Mamet’s wife), who eventually hire
Robert Morton (Jeremy Northam, Emma), the
country’s top attorney, to both defend the
boy and right the good Winslow name.
The
case becomes a national frenzy, spawning
O.J.-like tabloid stories and political cartoons
as the Winslow family drains its considerable
finances to proceed with the case that most
insiders believe is a lost cause, as well as a
colossal waste of both time and money.
Mamet’s characters, while not as slimy and
crooked as we’re used to, still speak in
hypnotically rhythmic salvos. Northam really
steals the show with his portrayal of the
attention-loving lawyer that can’t seem to
decide whether he’s involved in the case for
the fame, the money, the moralistic battle or for
Pidgeon’s Catherine. And when was the last
time you liked an attorney
in a film?
1:50 –  for just about nothing
|
