The Star Chamber (1983)

An unimportant, lousy justice system drama, that has no insight into its subject matter, nor does it showcase any actual justice, it's merely a dull bore, that will be forgotten come tomorrow. The first half an hour is decent, showing the scum committing there crimes, and showing there court trial, but after all that is devolves into this ten middle aged, good citizens sitting round a table and rambling on for the next hour, and that I cannot fathom, why anyone would label this as good is beyond me, because it's a justice film that doesn't actually show much in terms of justice, and the only real violence comes in the last ten minutes, and I was falling asleep by then because the picture was dreadfully paced, it's sluggish, dreary and rather disappointing. Sure there will be worse films, but this is a film that could have been memorable, worthwhile and entertaining, and instead goes down as forgettable and bland.Michael Douglas is good as Judge Stephen Hardin, Yaphet Kotto play's honest Detective Harry Lowes very well and Hal Holbrook (Magnum Force) is effortlessly engaging as Judge Benjamin Caulfield, an important member of the secret society and friend of Hardin. The rest of the cast are pretty good to, making it obvious that the reason the film doesn't work is due to the writing and the narrative, Peter Hyams's direction may have been decent but he also helped write the screenplay, himself and Rodrick Taylor have made a mess of it, unsure on what film they actually wanted to make by including a ridiculous plot point that sees Steven changing his mind about being a part of this society, in the last ten minutes he runs to their secret hideout to inform two child murderers that they are in danger, these scumbags beat him up and probably would have killed him, had he not got a kick in, and headed for the exit which ends in more stupidity.I have no idea what they were thinking with the ending, it's a train-wreck of sorts, that not only lacks sense but lacks an inventive approach and feels heavily forced, most likely thrown in the mix when Hyams realized the picture lacked action full stop, and I did not expect a full on action picture, but I wanted to see some form of justice, a good narrative and insightful dialogue, but after thirty minutes all you get is dull, uninspired material that is so boring, you're tempted to sleep through the remainder of the film. The Star Chamber is forgettable, boring stuff that completely wastes an intriguing premise, by dwelling too much on pointless dialogue, and uninteresting plot devices.

Young judge Michael Douglas is frustrated with having to let scumbag criminals go on legal technicalities. Soon he's approached by his friend Hal Holbrook about joining a group of judges that meet in secret and decide to dole out vigilante justice to criminals who the legal system failed to prosecute.Mature, thought-provoking thriller with an excellent first half but man does it fall apart in the end. The basic problem is that the entire first half of the movie is spent building up to Douglas joining this group. So a lot of time is spent on making us emotionally invested in WHY this group is necessary so we're on board with Douglas. But then, almost immediately after joining, the movie pulls the rug out from under itself and Douglas regrets his decision. Then we get a pedestrian climax involving a chase and shootout in a warehouse. All of that passion shown towards caring about the victims in the first half is tossed out in favor of the movie suddenly caring more about some dirtbag drug dealers who are clearly guilty of a lot of terrible crimes but maybe not this particular one they're to be executed for. Sorry but emotionally it's a tough sell.The cast is terrific, with wonderful character actors in roles big and small throughout. The writing in the first half is also really good. But boy, the way it falls apart and so abruptly is such a downer. I'm still giving it a decent score of 7 because when it's good, it's great, but be forewarned that it's a movie that chickens out on its own premise.

This forgotten little movie is not a masterpiece , but definitely a thought provoking movie that is worth your time . What is law and what is justice ? Is there a difference between them ? Which one is more important ? Can someone take justice in his own hands ? If the system fails to protect the innocent should we ignore the system ? This movie asks all this important questions and wants you to come out with your own conclusions . It does not force you to one point of view. For example it's about to the viewer to decide if the ending is a happy or sad one.Michael Douglas gives a great performance as a judge torn between his duties and desires . Hal Holbrook repeats his role from "Magnum force". If you seen it , you know what to expect . Same goes for Yaphet Kotto who plays a cop in the same way as in "Across 110th street" . Still , the give a solid performances . It's a little strange and sad that Kotto has so little screen time here and he seems wasted. I also have to applause the actors who played two thugs . They were really creepy.The screenplay for most part is intelligent , especially when it comes to complicated law issues . Only the ending seems a little clumsy. It kinda turns this serious drama/thriller into action movie , but thankfully doesn't destroy it. And the cops here are suspiciously very intuitive at times . "The Star chamber " has some cool photographed sequences like the chase at the beginning and the falling of one character near the end. Overall , if you want to spend your time on intelligent entertainment this movie is a nice choice. I give it 4/10. It's more of a drama , so don't expect action or thrills.

Amusingly described by one review I read here as "a vigilante movie as it might be envisioned by John Grisham", "The Star Chamber" is a good, solid, entertaining thriller. It misses its chances for greatness due to predictability and a lack of credibility, but while it's playing out, some people, such as this viewer, may not mind too much.Michael Douglas, in one of his earliest star vehicles, plays Steven Hardin, a young judge who's frustrated by the legal system with which he has to work. Far too often criminal scum are able to escape just punishment due to legal technicalities and savvy defense attorneys. Stevens' cagey, witty mentor Benjamin Caulfield (a marvelous Hal Holbrook) eventually reveals to Steven the method he and some fellow judges have employed to deal with the situation: review old, particularly infuriating cases, make judgments, and pass sentence, utilizing the services of a hired gun.This is certainly slick stuff, well made technically with efficient direction by Peter Hyams and it's at least smart enough to provoke some debate. For example, what would *you* do: let the 10 guilty men go free or let the one innocent man get executed? It includes some fairly exciting foot chases as well as one brief and decent car chase in a parking garage. The climactic sequence in the abandoned building is appropriately atmospheric. And Michael Smalls' music score is haunting and effective.Douglas is good in the lead but it's the men in the major supporting parts that truly shine: besides Holbrook, Yaphet Kotto scores as a dedicated detective and James B. Sikking is touching as the father of a murdered child. Sharon Gless has little to do as Stevens' concerned wife. The cast contains an impressive Who's Who roster of character actors, including Joe Regalbuto ('Murphy Brown') and Don Calfa ("The Return of the Living Dead") as a pair of goofy creeps, as well as Jack Kehoe, Larry Hankin, Dick Anthony Williams, David Proval, Robin Gammell, Matthew Faison, Michael Ensign, Jason Bernard, and Robert Costanzo. David Faustino ('Married with Children') plays one of Douglas's kids and Douglas's own real-life mother Diana plays Caulfields' wife; Charles Hallahan ("The Thing", 'Hunter') appears uncredited as police officer Picker.The movie does move along quite well, getting off to a good start but not concluding as strongly. Still, it's good entertainment for most of the time, and may have people talking about its themes after it's over.Seven out of 10.