Weapon and prove her innocence, Martin returns.
She learns that she had sentenced Martin's father to life imprisonment. Knowing that her arrest is imminent, Gwen frantically researches her past cases to discover Martin's identity and motive. She brings the police to Martin's loft, but he has disappeared. She assumes that her husband has framed her, but then she learns that Martin is the one who set Gwen presides over the case, and discovers that evidence planted at the crime scene links her to the murder. Charles is found murdered, and one of his many lovers is arrested for the crime. Her jealous husband Alan (Will Patton) knows Gwen is cheating, but suspects that her lover is attorney Charles Mayron (Dabney Coleman), Gwen's friend andĬolleague. Her marriage on the rocks, Judge Gwen Warwick (Bonnie Bedelia) begins an illicit affair with a young library clerk, Martin (Billy Wirth). It was released direct to home video after some 1994 festival showings. There is a nice music score from Christopher Young, a composer known mainly for his horror output, including ‘Hellraiser’ (’87), ‘Urban legend’ (’98) and ‘The Grudge’ (’04).Īlthough it has a familiar and sometimes complicated plot, ‘Judicial Consent’ remains a very enjoyable thriller, and one that makes for a decent late-night diversion.William Bindley's debut feature aspires to the John Grisham league of legal thriller but, with a pedestrian plot and a lack of sustained suspense, JUDICIAL CONSENT falls well short. Bindley went on to make the wholesome 2005 sports drama ‘Madison’ starring Jim Caviezel and Bruce Dern. Writer-director by William Bindley handles the material well in only his second feature. Also in the cast is Lisa Blount as a District Attorney, the much under-rated Dabney Coleman as the victim, and as a senior judge the great Kevin McCarthy, still giving strong performances at 80. Previously seen in ‘The Body Snatchers’ (’93), Billy Wirth is also good as Bedelia’s young lover, a would-be artist and sometime distraction in the judge’s unhappy marriage. A terrific actress, Bedelia is perhaps best known as the wife of Bruce Willis in the ‘Die Hard’ movies.
Judicial consent 1994 movie movie#
I’ve been a fan of Bonnie’s ever since seeing her in the superb 1969 movies ‘The Gypsy Moths’ and ‘They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?’, and it was nice seeing her carrying a movie rather than just being the support.
In a rare leading role, Bonnie Bedelia’s excellent performance lifts the movie above the standard crime thriller fare. It has a few steamy moments, especially the opening murder scene on a train, but it also has the feel of a television movie, probably due to its low budget. Although Gwen is assigned as the judge in this case, unfortunately for her most of the evidence points to herself as the killer.Īlthough the story is nothing new, the eventual unraveling of the mystery, coupled with the surprise villain, makes the movie a very enjoyable watch. Soon afterward, her old mentor and close friend Charles Mayron (Dabney Coleman) is murdered late one night in his office. Bored with her staid husband (Will Patton), Gwen begins a brief affair with the charming library worker. There were similar (and better) movies of its type released that same year (‘The Client’ and ‘Disclosure’), but this rain-soaked thriller is fairly gripping with a talented cast and a rather surprising culprit.ĭistinguished Judge Gwen Warwick (Bonnie Bedelia) meets a young clerk, Martin (Billy Wirth) in a library one day. Starting out looking more like an erotic thriller, the 1994 crime drama ‘Judicial Consent’ actually turns out to be a pretty good courtroom suspenser.