An early script from Mamet and although it’s an adaptation of a novel, he’s made it very much his own. The speeches are very Mamet – tough dialogue, short sentences, long speeches, specific words underlined. It has a Mamet feel, too: the hero, Frank Galvin, is alcoholic, once brilliant, a fallen Angel desperate for redemption; there's lots of macho male competition and some references to hunting; the female characters aren't as well etched (Galvin punches out the woman who betrays her - no kidding he floors her with one; you show those bitches who's boss!) The broken-man-seeking redemption template has been much copied in recent years. So too has the topic of the court case - it's a medical malpractice suit. But it still works, and the Boston setting remains fresh.
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