Night Falls on Manhattan (Andy Garcia, Ron Leibman) 1/2
A few TV shows sometimes get this close, but not many. If you take the best episodes of Law & Order and the Practice, you'll probably recognize some of the elements that make Night Falls on Manhattan such a fascinating movie. It's about scruples and legalities, corruption and murder, and the tricky fundamentals of loyalty and integrity. Thankfully, it's never about clichés or rehashed drivel.
The film stars Andy Garcia as Sean Casey, a New York City lawyer who starts at the bottom of the legal system's totem pole. When his father, veteran cop Liam (Ian Holm), is shot in a drug bust gone wrong, Sean is asked to try the case for the verbose District Attorney Morganstern (Ron Leibman). The trial would seem an easy win, given some of the glaring evidence against notorious dealer Jordan Washington (Sheik Mahmud-Bey). Washington's attorney Sam Vigoda (Richard Dreyfuss), however, has ulterior motives as he mounts a savvy rebuttle comprised of expansive theatrics. There is a method to the grand-staging, though. Vigoda is determined to expose the possibility that there are cops "on the take" in several departments and divisions, including that of the recovering Liam.
Given the film is directed by Sidney Lumet, there are some familiar aspects to be found. The media manipulation angle from Network, the undercover drug backdrop of Serpico, the emphasis on the importance of material evidence from 12 Angry Men and the undefined moral ground between right and wrong that is explored in Dog Day Afternoon are all part of the equation. Lumet uses a crowded approach and extracts some fine performances from the players.
Hands down, the best part about Night Falls on Manhattan is Ron Leibman as the volatile D.A. Morganstern. With this supporting part, the actor is in another league opposite Garcia, Lena Olin, and Canadian actor Colm Feore. Sure, the others are great, but Leibman leaves nothing to hide. Every raspy line is barked as if it's his last, and he uses a harsh breathing technique to trudge through speech after quotable speech. He has an arresting scene near the end of the film that is almost like witnessing a once-alert watchdog who has suddenly been converted to a sheepish creature on its deathbed.
There wasn't a lot of hoopla around this film when it came out. It's probably destined to be a Saturday afternoon standby for the TBS Superstation, but at least it's well-crafted and boasts a great script. It rises above such labels as "courtroom drama" and "police shoot-out" because it introduces these scenes early, rather than later on. The rest is filled with ethics and categorical imperatives of starkly humane proportions.
