Final Justice (1998) Reviews

• Taut thriller with a great story

  Freon1999-01-11

  A surprisingly well-executed and dynamic thriller that is much better that any of the recent Grisham trial based films. Quick moving and suspenseful, this movie features a great performance by the devilish Michael McKean. The movie is about a woman who's brother is murdered and his murderer is let free. Then the victim's sister kidnaps the attorney who got the murderer off and eventually goes on trial for her freedom. The story twists and turns and the directing by Tommy Lee Wallace is top-notch. The musical score by Brian Tyler is especially terrific. The cinematography (didn't catch who did it) is also fantastic. I highly recommend this film if you get the chance to see it.

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• Like it more with each viewing !

  nicholas.rhodes2006-03-03

  I have always thoroughly enjoyed films, like "Star Chamber" or the Charles Bronson vigilante movies where people take the law into their own hands to redress the wrong done by a decaying and unfair justice system. In this particular film Annette O'Toole gives an extremely moving, emotional and lifelike performance of a young lady aggrieved by the brutal murder of her brother who cannot bear to see his murderer get off scot free due to the garbage and slander spilled before the court by the pompous and greedy Merle Hammond. Technically one may argue that she should not have taken Hammond prisoner but rather the judge himself who let the murderer off but this film implies that Hammond's defense was so powerful and persuasive that the judge had no other alternative ! That is a matter for debate but the fact is that Hammond was the chosen victim and it there is a real feel good factor in seeing him humiliated ! The film contains good storyline and also a memorable music score. The ending is extremely touching and laid back .... no gloating over victory ... just the feeling of "having done the necessary to be able to continue with her life". A very laudable piece of cinema which confirms Annette O'Toole as one of my favourite actresses, very human, very real and also very fragile at the same time !

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• Aftermath of "Final Justice"

  charlesblank-22013-12-09

  I think that Annette O'Toole should have gone after the murderer of her brother,killed him,and forced society to judge her vigilante murder vs. her brother's murder. But ,just my opinion,now Micheal McKean's lawyer is disgraced,maybe out of work and shunned by society.So,he decides to get back by hurting O'Toole's family and the farmer's family then confronts O'Toole before he kills himself.O'Toole is left without her family,suffers guilt for the farmer's death,and is unable to seek any vengeance against a dead McKean.She learns the price of vengeance is too high and she can be a vigilante target too.Besides I would like to see people, that support vigilante tactics, respond when others resort to the same tactics against their family or friends.Other movies show criminals stalking and terrorizing people to get back at them for things they did to the criminals.But,these actions are evil and unjust in the movie's viewpoint.

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• Vigilante Garbage

  Squishy-122002-07-21

  A woman takes a defense attorney hostage, subjects him to a nice game of Russian Roulette and other threats and humiliations--then relies on the tricks of another attorney to get her off the hook for it. Her jaw-dropping hypocrisy could have been the basis for a nice melodrama, but no, this is pure "Lifetime"-style "man-baaaad woman-gooood" constipation, so she is presented at worst as "pushed over the edge by injustice"--and at best as America's Greatest Hero. The judge at her trial and her attorney are ridiculously unprofessional--but they're women, so it's "okay." Her victim--and his fellow lawyers? Man baaaaaaaad. Put "Final Justice" to this test: pretend you're the defense attorney. Because you do your job, someone takes YOU hostage, holds you at gunpoint, tortures you with death threats, then walks away free--fully capable of doing it all over again. Is she your hero now?

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• Weaseled

  tedg2008-01-15

  This is a tepid project; poorly executed in any dimension. But we forgive it. The reason is simple: the villain is a lawyer. There may be a lawyer somewhere with a justified life, but its got to be a rare as walking bathtubs. This movie fits into a comfortable story, about justice and defilers of justice. There's a background about a murder victim with aids, but its purely background. The juice here is all about the system, how its rigged; how the legal system and justice are relatively independent. We do hate this lawyer. Its a simple project. But there is something interesting here. The aberration of humanity that is the lawyer is played by Michael McKean, a prolific writer and performer, the weird talent behind Spinal Tap. The whole thing revolves around how well he portrays the central character. He's actually pretty competent: someone who thinks he is in the right. Its really quite balanced, what he does. And repellent in that balance. He gets murderers and other evil folks off by using tricks. He is kidnapped by an aggrieved woman. That woman is tried and gets off by using similar tricks but this time more noble. But if there's a lesson here, its lost in turgid writing. Annette O'Toole plays the woman. She's not a good actress. She has the body, face and hair of Julianne Moore and the mouth of Rene Zellweiger, none of it used as they would. Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life

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