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The Defenders: Taking The First

1998, Movie, R, 96 mins

The Defenders: Taking The First: Review

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It may not be as succinctly written nor as dynamically directed as the '60s TV series that inspired it, but this contemporary courtroom drama is a provocative think piece and a fitting tribute to the series' late star, E.G. Marshall. Liberal legal eagles Don Preston (Beau Bridges) and his niece M.J. (Martha Plimpton) tackle a controversial case involving Bayo Rodriguez (Diego Fuentes), a Hispanic college youth who was beaten to death for decrying racism at a rally. After defending Wyman James (Jeremy London), the least culpable of Bayo's attackers, the Prestons explore the impetus behind the vicious attack. With the cooperation of Bayo's family, including brother Nelson (Clifton Gonzalez Gonzalez), a promising law student, the Prestons bring a civil suit against white-supremacist leader John Walker (Philip Casnoff), whom they believe instigated the attack in order to silence Bayo. Depending on the testimony of a vacillating Wyman, and castigated by the ACLU for trampling on the Bill of Rights, Don and M.J. wage an uphill battle to link a murderous action with perceived instructions to silence an enemy. Nelson, meanwhile, desensitized by his brother's senseless killing, finds renewed purpose in seeking legal redress as he doggedly pursues new evidence. No new dramatic boundaries are ever crossed, but this intelligent teleplay does cover its politically correct territory with assuredness. Questioning the limits to which the First Amendment can be stretched, it dares to butt heads with the sacrosanct ACLU, and while the film only pays lip service to dissenting viewpoints, it doesn't pull back from the unpleasant implications of its own arguments. Unfortunately, characters are short-changed amid all the soapbox fervor, but it does function well as an understated human-interest story. leave a comment --Robert Pardi
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