The bright and empty street behind him shows just how alone he is in the world. He crosses off another funeral from his list. The Judge and Concannon represent a world of current order that Frank used to be a part of, but isn’t anymore. Action 1: Frank waits at the train station for Dr. Thompson. Frank’s opening statement features a tracking camera, along the back of the jury. He reflects the same strong themes he had told Laura near the beginning of the story, trusting in the power of the truth. Kaitlin then speaks directly to Dr. Towler, everything flashing back four years, a conclusion to a scene the audience has never seen, but can perfectly imagine. Through the simple body language of Frank and Mickey, we see his reaction. Action 3: Frank finds Kaitlin taking care of some children on a playground. He asks if she’ll help him. Laura Act Two Climax: Laura’s actions are revealed to be false. Though Mick and Laura are shot in the same booth as Frank and Laura’s date, the scene does not feel the same because of the angle of the shot, both characters shot in medium-wide rather than medium-close, making the scene less personal. Action 3: Frank questions Dr. Towler again. He walks back down as he talks about the two of them and the camera pulls in, bringing us back to Earth, with Frank. The clients are the relatives of a woman lying in a coma allegedly as a result of medical negligence. His constant unease with what he is doing is evident in Paul Newman’s acting. By not showing Frank’s face, only his actions are illuminated; the actions of a drunk. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Design and code by sqtl. Action 2: He trashes his office in a fit of drunken self-loathing, tearing his walls empty. Frank lets the phone ring as he sits in his office. He gets her to agree to dinner with him. The scene takes place as a two-shot, Mickey in the light, and Frank in the dark. This also pulls away emotional attachment to her. *Analysis based off work of Robert McKee, Joseph Campbell and Syd Field. Action 2: Mickey reminds him of the Deborah Ann Kaye case coming up in ten days. Frank refuses. Action 2: He pushes the nurse, threatening to subpoena her, knowing that she won’t tell him the truth. The camera moves in on Frank as he delivers his closing statement, presenting us as the jury, and giving Frank the opportunity to present his changed self, the self of core beliefs that he had lost and regained. ( Log Out /  The moral: if your legal career becomes just about the money you might find yourself on the fast road to hell in a hand basket. As Concannon rips apart Kaitlin’s testimony, the Judge is seen assuming his previous place as higher than other individuals, but Frank, with his objections, keeps rising up in the frame, trying to reach that peak of importance. Laura Act Four Climax: Laura and Frank, free from the case, are unable to reconcile their differences in morality. Action 1: Various people congratulate Frank as he leaves the courtoom. Mickey lies that Frank isn’t there. They all believe Kaitlin was telling the truth, but agree that legally the case is over. | Summary: A list of the best legal movies of all time. Laura Act One Climax: Committed to Frank and his life. Frank states that things can change, but the Judge tries to humor him into taking the deal. The game is a metaphor of how some things are based on chance as well as dedication. When Kevin enters the scene, he and Sally are shot together, but Frank moves to sitting on his desk away from them, drawing a line from the situation he had been morally drawn to. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. The opposite angle shows Laura, medium shot, against white drapes, making her appear more angelic, while Frank remains small in the doorway, surrounded by straight lines made by the bed, dressers and drawers, another symbol of him being boxed in. He convinces him to hear him out. The viewer watches Frank’s face change as he takes the photos of the poor woman. His clothes, though professional, are worn and tattered, illustrating a man who once held high esteem but has fallen on hard times. Frank is never given a close up in the entire scene. She tells the other men in the bar to leave him alone. Now cut the bullshit, please. He is confrontational with the doctor, telling him to cut the bullshit. The verdict of the trial is not an actual court case, but of Frank’s soul, to see if he has truly earned a place as a respectable man. Frank’s actions further illustrate the despair of his situation. Frank states that this is the case. Penny specialises in witness evidence and never ceases to be fascinated by anything to do with the courtroom. His ‘enabling’ law partner has had enough of patching up Galvin’s cuts and bruises nevertheless he presents Galvin with a last chance case. Action 3: Frank begins to question Dr. Thompson. The moral: if your legal career becomes just about the money you might find yourself on the fast road to hell in a hand basket. Action 1: Frank visits the nurse, Maureen, who won’t testify in search of evidence for Deborah Ann Kaye, trying to figure out why there was a mistake in the operating room. What could be interpreted as mindful glances of a potential lover are subtle clues that she is digging for something deeper. Her laugh at the ex-wife portrait is her first moment of genuineness, suggesting that all of their interaction before was a charade. By closing his eyes, he moves past Laura and the corruption she represents. Laura disappearing shows just how far he has moved on, Laura becoming a haunting image of regret and betrayal in his mind, no longer a person, but a ghost.