wex@ittvax.UUCP (Alan Wexelblat) (08/08/83)
Went to see Star Chamber this weekend: Nice movie. Not a great movie, but definitely has its good points. It's basically about this young judge who gets fed up with a crappy legal system, and decides to do something about it. Good things: 1) Characters are well done. Despite so-so dialogue, the various actors all turn in good performances. 2) Not excessively gorey. The blood that gets spilled gets spilled in a neat, clean way. Just enough is shown to give you the proper effect. No rolling heads; no spurting blood. 3) Tension is maintained nicely. Despite a thin plot, and predictable actions, one never dozes off. There's even a good comic relief segment involving a cop who hates paperwork. 4) The climactic scene has effect that ol' Alfred would have been proud of. Lots of scare without any blood. 5) Excellent cinematography, especially at the beginning and end of the film. Bad things: 1) Dialogue gets downright corny at places, and is weak throughout. 2) Plot is highly predictable (but not to the detriment of suspense; see above) 3) Some of the characters and actions are so marginal that they would have been better left out. All in all, ***1/2* (out of 5). Worth the $4 we paid. --Alan Wexelblat decvax!ittvax!wex