Few directors have been able to produce work that feel as urgent as that of Sidney Lumet. Whether satirical or sobering, his films were always imbued with a sense of immediacy, which assisted massively in defining him as one of the great masters of the industry. In this regard, we can look towards The Verdict for evidence for his brilliance, both as a storyteller and master of tone and atmosphere. Working from a screenplay that David Mamet adapted from the novel by Barry Reed, the film tells the story of an alcoholic lawyer who is given the chance to rectify his previous misdeeds by taking on the case of a young woman who was rendered comatose as a result of medical malpractice which robbed her of nearly every ounce of life she had when she fell victim to negligence. It may not be the towering achievement that redefined cinema like Dog Day Afternoon or Network, but The Verdict is just as powerful, telling an important story that is steeped heavily within social inequality and the institutionalized elitism that many see as being sacrosanct, with only a few managing to look beyond the status quo and question the culture that makes such actions not only possible but somehow encouraged. By no means a run-of-the-mill legal thriller, but rather one that exudes an enigmatic, poignant sense of awareness of the bleak nature of reality, The Verdict is one of the most haunting entries into the sub-genre of the legal drama – and with the complex use of emotional content in moving the story along, as well as the careful attention to detail we would expect from both the writer and the director, the film evolves into one of the most complex thrillers of its time, a bold drama that stands its ground and does whatever possible to hold our attention and immerse us in this complex story.

It’s difficult to imagine a director better suited to this material than Lumet – he was a filmmaker who was capable of taking the most straightforward, procedural texts and transforming them into vivid and captivating films that hold our attention from beginning to end. On the surface, The Verdict seems like a relatively conventional legal thriller – it focuses on a lawyer using his resourcefulness to build a case, which he methodically presents in course, doing whatever he can to attain a victory for his client, who he sees as victims of a cruel social and cultural system that excuses the misdeeds of people who wield a small but pivotal amount of power. Naturally, this is only what we encounter on the surface, since we’d expect the pairing of Lumet and Mamet to produce something with much more artistic value, which is exactly what we discover as this film moves along. It is far more than just an ordinary thriller, especially in how Lumet finds the most interesting content in the ambigious spaces between the big moments – as captivating as the courtroom scenes are, The Verdict mainly relies on the information we glean from more private conversations and self-motivated investigations on the part of our protagonist. The film is not too concerned with the machinations of the legal system itself, and is much more interested in the people that populate it, focusing on the various individuals that would be participants in something as intimidating as a major court case that deals with the delicate matter of life and death – and while it may not be the most consistently accurate depiction of the judicial system, it is far more complex than many films that tend to view the courtroom as the primary location of resolution, when we realize the most effective work is done behind closed doors by the dedicated individuals tasked with doing everything in their power to sway the verdict in one particular direction.

Looking at the names that were attached to play the role of Frank Galvin in The Verdict immediately draws attention to the fact that this was a truly unforgettable character, one that any actor would be fortunate to play. Yet, as enticing as the idea of icons like Cary Grant or William Holden playing the role, no one could have surpassed the incredible work Paul Newman was doing here. The problem with being one of the greatest actors of all time is that there is very often not a lot of consensus around what their definitive performance is – and while there is an immense amount of debate around which film contains Newman’s best work, The Verdict remains one of his peaks as an actor, and there is an argument to be made that it is his greatest performance. Playing the volatile but principled lawyer who is doing everything he can to defend both his honour and that of his client, Newman is just extraordinary. Filled with complexity but never unlikable or impenetrable, he commands the screen, constantly drawing our attention and reminding us of his outright brilliance as an actor. It’s a challenging role, and any actor would’ve found it to be emotionally and physically taxing, since every part of their being needed to be committed to playing this part. Yet, Newman seems so natural, proving that his ability to tap into the deepest recesses of humanity when constructing his characters remains unmatched. James Mason, Charlotte Rampling and Jack Warden all offer sufficient support, playing secondary characters that enrich the film rather than detracting attention from Newman, whose performance anchors the film, forcing everyone to simply orbit around his ferociously dedicated portrayal of a man who is avoiding a complete breakdown, both for the sake of the people who employed him, and for his own professional and personal reputation, which is essentially the emotional core of the film.

It may be centred on a court case (and one that is quite specific, entailing an abundance of complex legal and medical terminology), but The Verdict is a film primarily about atonement. When reflecting on the story, we’re not likely to recall the specific details of the case itself, but rather the moral message that occurs concurrently. On countless occasions, we’ve seen flawed lawyers navigating a hostile system and finding their humanity through developing a sense of self-awareness. This is the foundation for this film, and where most others would leave it at this level, The Verdict pushes forward and captures the small details that many may have missed at first. There are numerous layers to the film, and as we inch further into the mind of the main character, we can start to see how the entire purpose of this film was not to be some elegy against the crooked members of the medical community that take advantage of their status to curry favour with the institutions that matter, or how the legal system is inherently stacked against the underdogs – The Verdict is quite simple a film about a man seeking forgiveness through realizing that his self-destructive behaviour could be reconfigured into fiery passion directed towards the victims of an unfair system. The early portions of the film can feel somewhat heavy-handed, and Lumet sometimes struggles to fully grasp the extent of the protagonist’s abusive relationship with his addiction, but once the film hits its stride, there is very little opportunity to stop the momentum, with the sheer willpower of this incredibly moving story of seeking contrition through taking the institution to task for their own dependency on archaic practices that harm those who need the help the most being the foundation for an incredibly thrilling and cathartic drama that may give fascinating insights into the legal system, but carries an emotional heft that lingers with the viewer for much longer than anything else we see in the film.

The process of adapting the novel to the screen was likely a bit of a challenge for Lumet and Mamet, since they had to retain the spirit of the source material while adding elements that would make it profoundly cinematic. Legal dramas often struggle in the transition from page to the screen, primarily because they are either too loose in their definitions of what the law entails, or they’re far too academic, becoming prosaic and too concerned with conveying every detail, regardless of whether or not they are relevant. The Verdict strikes the perfect balance – it is as invested in the case that serves as the catalyst for the film, while not hesitating to take a look behind the proverbial curtain of the law, peering into the lives of the people on both sides who work tirelessly to achieve a particular outcome. It has clear priorities, and while these may not be obvious at the outset (since Lumet is aware that the audience does want to be entertained and captivated, despite the very serious nature of the subject matter), we soon learn the intentions that guided the film. Decoding the clues and working towards the resolution alongside the main character is an enthralling way of putting the viewer at the heart of a story and keeping us actively engaged in the narrative – and gradually, we start to see the solutions appearing, one after the other as we work through the case with a flawed but fascinating protagonist. This is all bundled together in this dynamic, complex film that blends legal drama with social commentary and psychological thriller to form a multilayered, varied journey into a sordid corner of the world, one where those responsible for protecting the vulnerable are taken to task for their lazy negligence, and where morality is the ultimate victor when all else fails, leading to a film that dares to provoke and unsettle where it was necessary, all for the sake of a compelling glimpse into the human condition, as filtered through the perspective of a single individual working to fight the system. A masterful and unforgettable achievement from a true titan of the industry.