Today in 1925, Paul Newman was born. Accordingly, we select The Verdict.
Synopsis
The Verdict is a courtroom drama directed by Sidney Lumet. It follows Frank Galvin (played by Paul Newman), a once-prominent lawyer who has fallen on hard times. Galvin, struggling with alcoholism and a tarnished reputation, takes on a medical malpractice case involving a young woman left in a vegetative state. As he digs deeper, he discovers a web of corruption and deceit within the legal and medical systems. Galvin faces moral dilemmas and personal redemption as he strives to bring justice to the victim and reclaim his own integrity.
Why Today?
On January 26th, 1925, Paul Newman was born. The iconic actor played a variety of acclaimed and iconic roles, and was nominated for an Oscar every decade from the 1950s to 2000s, except 1970 (and he could've easily been nominated and won for The Sting in 1973).
In his honor, today we're going with The Verdict. While not the movie he won his Academy Award for (The Color of Money), Newman shines in this movie by taking a cliché archetype of a character (the alcoholic, burned-out lawyer) and turning it into a compelling performance. Combined with a superb David Mamet script and skillfully directed by Sidney Lumet, it's easily one of the best courtroom drama movies in Hollywood history.