SEVEN HOURS TO JUSTICE
US, 1988, 90 minutes, Colour.
Beau Bridges, Julianne Philips, Ron Liebman
Directed by Beau Bridges.
Seven Hours to Justice is a melodrama about justice in the American courts. One hopes that it is far fetched. The film stars and is directed by Beau Bridges. He seems particularly youthful to be a judge. Julianne Phillips is his wife. Ron Leibman portrays a man, an advertiser on television in a manic kind of way, whose wife is assaulted and died - and there is insufficient evidence in the court for the conviction of her assailants. He takes on a personal, electronic, revenge. The film seems so highly melodramatic that it strains credibility.
1. Impact of this drama: justice, the courts, vengeance? Topical for the 80s?
2. The city locations, the homes, courts, the city streets, the underground, the skid row, the warehouse? Melodramatic score? Special effects?
3. The title, the focus on the issue, vengeance? Justice?
4. The opening with the judge and his dream, tormented, the assault on the woman, his helplessness? Symbol of the films plot? His own life, jogging, his friend the doctor, relationship with his wife? Reardon's special plea and his inability to meet it? The hearing, the defence lawyer, the prosecutor and his lack of evidence? His torment, imagination, having to dismiss the case? The death of the victim? The party, his wife's absence? Abducted, the confrontation with Reardon, Ira and his innocent strength? The commission for the seven hours? The subway token? The bewilderment, anguish, seeing the gang, their brutality, taking everything he owned? The phone calls, the rushing through the subway, in skid row and his torment? Finding the informant, the gun, the evidence? Watched by Reardon? The torment about his wife? The chase by the gang, coming into the warehouse, the confrontations, the deaths? The final confrontation with Reardon and his death? Emerging into safety? The anguish of a judge and his being bound by the law?
5. Reardon - and seeing him as Ravin' Reardon on the television? His outburst to the judge, vigil at his wife's bedside? Her death? His manic revenge, at the party, abducting the Judge, threatening him, giving him a quest, controlling him with surveillance, his going to the house, the encounter with the doctor and killing him? The return with Lisa and Ira? His enjoying the surveillance, the explosives? The gang pursuing the Judge? The deaths? Lisa ruining the machines, his bewilderment, his own death? Driven to madness?
6. Lisa, the judge's wife, lifestyle? Friends in high places? Support of her husband, abducted, tied up, tormented, her trying to persuade Ira to free her? The pigeon, the story of the dog? With the machines - and her kicking them and breaking them? The reconciliation?
7. Ira, slow witted, help from Reardon, loyal to him, confronting the gangs?
8. The gang members, their brutality in the city, the subways? Lack of evidence, intimidating witnesses? The defence lawyer not wanting to have anything to do with them at the end? Hispanic and black? racist tones?
9. The doctor, friendship, helping John, his death?
10. Audience identification with the characters, the issues, justice and the courts?
