Citizen Verdict (2003)

"Citizen Verdict" is an interesting movie. The plot is about airing criminal trials on television and the audience acting as the jury.Jerry Springer plays Marty Rockman, the TV producer who thinks up this idea. Armand Assante is Sam Patterson, the defense lawyer. Assante And Springer put in fun performances. They both go over the top. If you loved Springer's performance in "The Defender" as the President, you'll definitely like this one. He has more screen time. He has a great speech near the end of the movie.One of the problems with the film is that some of the other actors are pretty lousy. (the actress who plays Patterson's wife and the Citizen Verdict TV Commentators). Another problem is that there are too many cutaways to the "man\woman on the street" interviews. It hurts the film a little. Besides that, the movie is worth watching to satisfy your longing for the Armand\Springer team up you always knew was coming.For more insanity, check out: comeuppancereviews.com

This movie just turned one of my favorites!!! It blasted my mind!!! It's definitely so worth watching!!! It may not be as entertaining, but it puts the viewer's mind to work and leads us to ponder on the authenticity of media in multiple aspects. For one thing, it reveals the workings of show biz behind camera. For another, it forces us to face that moment of truth, that thin line dividing our beliefs and our moral judgment. This film is a reality show in itself. Yet, ironically, it questions the very authenticity of reality behind the screen. For anyone who hasn't seen this yet, rent it!!! We all need films like these to keep our minds working and our eyes open!

Overall not too bad, but could have been so much better. It leaves the viewer pondering just how out of control reality television has become. Raffaello Degruttola did a fine job as Ricky Carr. Lengthy & boring at best, some of the Armand Assante scenes could have been edited. When I first picked up the movie, I noticed that Jerry Springer was in the cast. After seeing his name, my first thought was that it must be some king of black comedy. Much to my surprise it wasn't and the man can actually act! The DVD has the usual extras. Check out the comments from the cast and crew. They were almost more interesting than the movie. Not worth premium ticket prices but just fine for a rental fee. Worth a look.

I was invited to a preview Q&A showing of this film by the writer of the original script, and was given a copy of the script to read after.The only thing I can say is the thing they put on the screen bears no relation to the original concept and script. As far as I can tell the only thing they kept was the first word of the title.Tony, the writer, was so ashamed of the final outcome he tried to get his name taken off it. It really is a shame because the script i read would have made an excellent movie, the director just had to stick his oar in though.You'll notice in the credits there are 4 or 5 names down as writer, one is Tony, one is another writer, one is the director!!!, and god knows who the others are.All in all, what could have been a brilliant courtroom thriller/drama, turned into an hour and a half farce.