This film screened 19th February 2010.

A courtroom thriller in the classic mould, this teaser from the pen of Joe Basic Instinct Eszterhas is constructed with old-fashioned respect for the audience’s intelligence. When a rich socialite is brutally murdered, prime suspect is the husband (Jeff Bridges) who was first on the scene. Given that he’ll be the one to benefit financially from the murder, could the solution to the case really be that obvious? Careerist state prosecutor Peter Coyote is itching to land a conviction, but the more intimately acquainted defence counsel Glenn Close gets with her client, the stronger her faith in his innocence. Under Richard Marquand’s classy direction, the steady drip-feed of new revelations has the viewer continually reassessing their own opinions, yet the entire movie succeeds thanks to Bridges’ uncanny ability to appear as a charismatic innocent one minute, steely schemer the next. Unlikely as it might sound, it’s among his best performances.