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Night Falls On Manhattan

     Hey, everyone. I watched a good movie tonight. I think you might like to see it. It is Night Falls On Manhattan. It stars Andy Garcia as an idealistic young lawyer who is just starting to work as an Assistant District Attorney. His dad is a cop in New York and he was too, until he landed the new gig.
     You may remember the days when you were a young idealist. Very few arrive at an age where they can be called an old idealist. It is a dangerous business, being idealistic. Not many people will love you and fewer still will want to hang with you. Heck, they know you'd send them down the river too, because "It's the right thing to do." But I digress.
     So, Andy Garcia plays Sean Casey. Sean is only a few months into his career with the D.A. when his dad is shot during a drug bust. He survives but three other cops die during the raid.
     The dealer hires the best lawyer in town, Sam Vigoda. (Played by Richard Dreyfuss.) Sam foolishly uses the defense that a group of cops were on the take and therefore coming to kill the dealer. He was just defending himself, according to Sam.
    Sean draws the case and goes to trial. He also goes somewhere with Sam's assistant, Peggy Lindstrom. (Played by the smoking hot Lena Olin.) The place where he goes with Peggy is to her place. Lucky him. Or is it luck? When I saw this I said to myself, "This is poor judgement on his part".
     It turns out that Sean becomes known as a crusader and wins the election for District Attorney. Will his high ideals and standards survive in a city where favors are like poker chips? Will he walk the chalk if his own dad's aged butt is on the line? Can he possibly trust his dad's partner when he looks suspiciously like James Gandolfino from The Sopranos?
     This movie is odd, in that it makes you stop and think about that first time when you started thinking about shades of grey instead of black and white. About the fact that some things are so subtle that you still are not sure, decades later, what was cool and what wasn't. About words like 'the greater good'. About how much crap it is to punish the good guys when they chase the bad guys and where lines must be drawn. About the fearful and scary job that a judge has when he has to sit on a bench and decide people's fate. May God help these men and women as they have to exercise the power of their office.
     Speaking of responsibilities of office... I read that Steven Segal is thinking of running for Governor of Arizona. I figure he would make a good one. I also expect that he would win. I seriously doubt that anyone would intimidate the big guy.
    This film was well acted and directed. It was surprisingly entertaining, considering the fact that there wasn't much action.
     From the author's green retreat, I'm CE Wills.

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