Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Twilightfa Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

gridoon2018 A slick, lively, pacey and sometimes even funny courtroom thriller, with an intense and commanding performance by James Woods in the leading role (he nearly wipes Robert Downey Jr. off the screen; only Kurtwood Smith matches his intensity). To be honest, it's not that much better than a very well-made episode of a TV series (and perhaps fittingly, it spawned one, albeit short-lived), and the plot has holes in it, but the screenwriter, Wesley Strick, and the director, Joseph Ruben, get a grip on the viewer right from the start and never let go. Vivid on-location New York filming; flavorful score by Brad Fiedel ("The Terminator"). *** out of 4.

rondine This is a very well done court room drama that is based on an actual case from actual liberal left wing attorney, J. Tony Serra. James Woods plays the fictionalized version of Serra, under the name Eddie Dodd. Robert Downey, Jr. plays Roger Baron, a young idealistic lawyer that comes to clerk for the once famous Dodd- with dreams of defending civil liberties and making a difference. He arrives only to find the once rebellious and justice minded Dodd defending drug addicts and drug dealers. One evening a young Korean woman & lady come to his offices looking for help. Her son was sent to jail 8 years ago & is now accused of murder because of a prison fight that resulted in the death of a member of the Aryan army. Despite the fact it's not his area of "expertise," Roger convinces Dodd to take the case. For Dodd, this case, this young man, Shu Kai Kim played very well by Yuji Okumoto, represents so much more than just another case. Dodd himself is looking to reclaim his own enthusiasm, freedom and hope. The District Attorney is played very reliably by Kurtwood Smith (poor guy- pre "70's show" he always seemed to play a bad guy.)The main reason I like this movie are the actors. Yes, the story is somewhat predictable- but there are some turns that make you doubt who is innocent & who is guilty on first viewing. James Woods' performance in this movie is one of his most versatile and enjoyable. He transitions with ease from humorous sarcasm to an almost raw vulnerability. One of the best scenes is one in which he tells his client, "I know you're innocent- even if you've forgotten." After 8 years in prison, Shu isn't the same man he was when he went in. Just as Dodd tells Roger at the beginning of the movie that 10 years is a lot of time- in other words, despite his shinning past as a defender of civil liberties- he has also changed. Cynicism is something that creeps stealthily into everyone as age and time increase. In the movie "And Justice for All" they delve into the difficulty of being a defense lawyer & having to defend people you may know full well did a heinous crime of some sort. This has to change a person and that is part of what this movie is about. All the other actors, including Margaret Colin as the PI Kitty Greer, are believable and supply good support for the main character of Dodd. This is basically Woods' show, and that's okay with me since I'm a big fan of his. He was also fabulous in "Salvador" but then I think he is fabulous. If you like Woods, you'll like this movie I think - if you like a good story, I think you'll like this movie.

bkoganbing The title role in True Believer is played by Robert Downey, Jr., who is an eager young law school graduate looking forward to interning with famed civil rights attorney James Woods.Woods who's a throwback to the hippie days of the Sixties is now making a living defending drug dealers and other various and assorted dregs of society. He's an attorney and bills have to be paid. By the way note that his office has his living quarters in it, a practice perfected back in the day by Roy Cohn. Out of the blue comes a mother looking for an attorney for her son who killed an Aryan brother in prison. But she's also looking to re-open the case that got him there in the first place, a Chinese gang killing that he swears up and down he did not do.Woods and Downey go to work and what they uncover is a frightening case of official corruption. It's an object lesson in how law enforcement can if it wants to, manufacture evidence to convict someone if they want them bad enough. In this case it's to cover up the real murderer, but I won't say more.James Woods is just about perfect casting in the role of the aged and jaded defense attorney whose young assistant helps him recapture some of his youthful idealism. Robert Downey, Jr. aids and abets Woods every step of the way in this.But the best three performances in the film by far are Miguel Fernandes as the corrupt and maniacal police snitch, Kurtwood Smith as the District Attorney of New York County and Yuji Okumoto as the imprisoned defendant.Kurtwood Smith came to be known to millions as lovable, irascible Red Foreman in That Seventies Show. Here he's one hard-nosed District Attorney who sanctions all kinds of rule breaking for what he considers the greater good. He's far from TV's Adam Schiff or the real life Robert Morgenthau.True Believer is a nice drama about some people who take on the system and win.

Daria42 Okay. I'm a huge James Woods fan, so I may be a bit biased. But a lot of these reviews on this movie are pretty unfair - *especially* the one where the only comments made about the entire movie was a detailed description of the "nightmare" Woods' hairpiece inspired for the viewer. C'mon, that has nothing to do with anything. (I, personally, quite liked seeing Woods with long hair for a change - but that's not the point of this review, so I'm moving on.)This movie's plot, about a disillusioned lawyer who has spent the latter half of his career getting drug dealers freed, and suddenly gets a chance at a case where he can really do something _good_ - namely, free an innocent man - is a story that packs a lot of power. And most of that power comes from Woods in his role as Eddie Dodd, the shambled attorney. Man, if Woods would ever find himself without work, he could always go back to school and go into law; raw passion, this guy has it. The court scenes are brilliant. Actually, all of the scenes are brilliant. You can't watch this movie without being amazed at the depths of emotion that this character is going through, all visible on his face, in his eyes, in his voice. The acting is superb. (A rarity with some more recent movies, in my opinion.) The character is superb. Woods turns him from a character into a real _person_, someone you can relate to, someone you can understand and sympathize with. Which is really what makes a movie great.The acting is great, the story is gripping - the audience can try to stay one step ahead of the characters, but good luck! Everything unfolds at a good pace, without getting either too slow or too confusing. Robert Downey, Jr., is both amusing and poignant as a green attorney working for Dodds; and Yuji Okumoto, as Shu, has some really in-depth scenes against Dodds. All the characters are great.It's got action, it's got power, it's got raw emotion, it's got _feeling_. The ending was poignant enough to make me cry. So, hey, if you like watching a film that will get your attention and maybe even make you re-think a few things about how America is handled, give this movie a try. Because, really, the hairpiece on Woods is actually quite attractive. ;-)