On C List of Movie Reviews

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Criminal Law (1988)

Rate: 5
Viewed: 5/22

5/22: Criminal Law starring Gary Oldman and Kevin Bacon might look good on paper, but it's a terrible movie.

The plot makes no sense. What's consistently on my mind is this: why didn't the police surveil the serial killer 24/7? I mean, everybody knows who's doing it, but for now, they don't have enough evidence to put him away. The consequence is: women keep getting murdered.

On the other hand, the lawyer is sure active outdoors. Almost midnight, he's in the pouring rain and then slips down in the middle of the woods to find a dead woman's body. Later, he goes through an underground tunnel from the gazebo to the serial killer's bedroom. For a Harvard graduate, Ben Chase isn't smart and has a lot of free time, so when does he ever work on his cases?

I have to admit that the editing did sustain my attention. However, there's a weird sex scene midway that serves no purpose. Although Gary Oldman's intensity is all over the place and he inexplicably spits a lot, the cast is decent for the most part. Kevin Bacon gives a believable performance, but it's been for naught anyway.

All in all, given the failure of Criminal Law, it isn't a surprise that Martin Campbell is the director because he's an idiot and his résumé is full of idiotic films.

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