...And Justice for All is a 1979 American legal drama film directed by Norman Jewison and starring Al Pacino, Jack Warden and John Forsythe. Lee Strasberg, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Lahti, Craig T. Nelson, Thomas Waites, and Sam Levene, in his final screen performance, appear in supporting roles. The Oscar-nominated screenplay was written by Valerie Curtin and Barry Levinson. It was filmed in Baltimore, including the courthouse area. It received two Academy Award nominations: Best Actor (Pacino) and Best Original Screenplay (Curtin and Levinson).
The film includes a well-known scene in which Pacino's character yells, "You're out of order! You're out of order! The whole trial is out of order! They're out of order!"
Plot
Arthur Kirkland, a Baltimore defense attorney, is in jail on a contempt of court charge after punching Judge Henry T. Fleming while arguing the case of Jeff McCullaugh. McCullaugh was stopped for a minor traffic offense, then mistaken for a killer of the same name, and has already spent a year and a half in jail without being guilty of a crime. Fleming has repeatedly stymied Kirkland's efforts to have the case reviewed. Although there is strong new evidence that McCullaugh is innocent, Fleming refuses to consider his appeal due to its late submission, so he remains in prison. Kirkland then starts a new case, defending Ralph Agee, a young black cross-dresser arrested for a robbery, who is terrified of being sent to prison.
Kirkland pays regular visits to his grandfather Sam, in a nursing home, who is progressively becoming senile. It is revealed that Kirkland was abandoned by his parents at a young age, and it was Sam who raised him and put him through law school. Kirkland also begins a romance with a legal ethics committee member, Gail Packer.
Kirkland has a friendly relationship with Judge Francis Rayford, who takes him on a hair-raising ride in his personal helicopter. Rayford laughs in amusement as he tests how far he can fly before running out of fuel. Meanwhile, Kirkland is terrified and begs him to land; Rayford eventually crashes his helicopter in knee-deep water. Rayford, a Korean War veteran, is borderline suicidal and keeps a rifle in his chambers at the courthouse and an M1911 pistol in his shoulder holster at all times. He even eats his lunch on a ledge outside his office window, four stories up.
One day, unexpectedly, Kirkland is requested to defend Judge Fleming, who has been accused of brutally assaulting and raping a young woman. As the two loathe each other, Fleming feels that having the person who publicly hates him argue his innocence will be to his advantage. Fleming blackmails Kirkland with an old violation of lawyer-client confidentiality, for which Kirkland will likely be disbarred if it were to come to light.
Kirkland's friend and partner, Jay Porter, is also unstable. He feels guilt for gaining acquittals for defendants who were truly guilty of violent crimes. Porter shows up drunk at Kirkland's apartment, after one of his (guilty) clients kills two kids following his acquittal. Porter soon shaves his head, claiming this will make his hair grow back thicker, but keeps shaving it. After a violent breakdown inside the courthouse – wherein he ends up throwing dinner plates at everybody in the hallway – Porter is taken to a hospital. Before leaving in the ambulance, Kirkland asks another partner, Warren Fresnell, to handle Agee's court hearing in his absence. Kirkland gives Fresnell a corrected version of Agee's probation report and stresses that it must be shown to the judge so that Agee will receive probation, rather than serve jail time. Fresnell shows up late and forgets to give the judge the corrected version, causing Agee to be sentenced to jail time. Kirkland is livid and attacks Fresnell's car, revealing that 30 minutes after he was sentenced, Agee committed suicide. Meanwhile, Jeff McCullaugh, who has been sexually and physically assaulted by other inmates, finally snaps and takes two hostages. Kirkland pleads with him to surrender, promising to get him out, but a police sniper shoots and kills McCullaugh when he moves in front of a window.
A clearly disturbed Kirkland takes on Judge Fleming's case. The prosecuting attorney Frank Bowers hopes to make his reputation off convicting a judge. Kirkland's client Carl Travers hopes to get free legal services by offering photos of Judge Fleming engaged in bisexual BDSM with a prostitute. Gail reminds Kirkland of his professional obligations to defend the judge. Kirkland shows the pictures to Fleming, who admits he is a rapist.
At the trial, Fleming jokes that he would like to see his victim again sometime. In his opening statement, Kirkland sarcastically muses about the legal system and Bowers' ambition. He surprises everyone by saying Bowers will not convict Fleming because he will and proceeds to accuse his client of being guilty. Kirkland is dragged out of the courtroom, venting his rage all the way. The spectators cheer for Kirkland, Fleming sits down in defeat, and a fed-up Rayford storms out.
As an exhausted Kirkland sits on the courthouse steps, Jay Porter passes on his way back to work, tipping his wig to Kirkland.
Cast
- Al Pacino as Arthur Kirkland
- Jack Warden as Judge Francis Rayford
- John Forsythe as Judge Henry T. Fleming
- Lee Strasberg as Sam Kirkland
- Jeffrey Tambor as Jay Porter
- Christine Lahti as Gail Packer
- Sam Levene as Arnie
- Robert Christian as Ralph Agee
- Thomas Waites as Jeff McCullaugh
- Larry Bryggman as Warren Fresnell
- Craig T. Nelson as Frank Bowers
- Dominic Chianese as Carl Travers
- Victor Arnold as Leo Fauci
- Vincent Beck as Officer Leary
- Michael Gorrin as Elderly Man
- Baxter Harris as Larry
- Joe Morton as Prison Doctor
- Alan North as Deputy Sheriff
- Tom Quinn as Desk Clerk Kiley
- Beverly Sanders as Sherry
- Connie Sawyer as Gitel
- Charles Siebert as Assistant D. A. Keene
- Robert Symonds as Judge Burns
- Keith Andes as Marvin Bates