Wow, "The Heart of Justice" has quite an impressively stellar cast for being such an inconspicuous and little-seen made-for-TV thriller from the early 90s. My personal reason for absolutely wanting to track it down was because it features the very last role of the greatest actor who ever lived - Vincent Price - but the rest of the list is dazzling as well. Dennis Hopper, Bradford Dillman, Jennifer Connelly, Eric Stoltz, Harris Yulin, William H. Macy, Joanna Miles, Kurt Fuller... Based on these names, one might think it must be a sort of masterpiece, but not quite. Although a fairly engaging and entertaining thriller/mystery while it lasts, "The Heart of Justice" isn't highly memorable.
The film does open intriguingly, with Vincent Price's magical voice as he's talking to Dennis Hopper over dinner. The latter depicts Austin Blair, a cocky pulp novelist enjoying the success and media attention of his newly published book. When he walks out of the club's restaurant, though, Blair is mercilessly gunned down in broad daylight by an assailant who immediately commits suicide as well. The paper he works for orders the very arrogant reporter David Leader to dive into the story and background of the murderer. He discovers the assailant, Elliot Burgess, comes from a rich and influential family, but struggled with paranoia and mental instability. Elliot read Blair's latest novel and became obsessed with the idea it was based on the lives and secrets of his family. Leader is supposed to write an extended story, but instead he becomes indulged with the murderer's sister Emma, ...and I can't blame him because she's the unearthly ravishing Jennifer Connelly!
The film is enjoyable and compelling to watch, thanks to the solid basic plot and strong performances for every tiniest supportive role, but even the dream cast can't prevent the story from becoming slightly dull and repetitive after a good hour. You will be curious regarding how it will end because, after all, the killer is already identified and dead. I must admit the denouement is unexpected and original, but not entirely satisfying.
Alright, one last homage to Vincent Price. His role is virtually meaningless here, and "The Heart of Justice" is hardly the film to end such a long and brilliant career with, but he still stands proudly and shines in his final role. Two short passages aren't much, but his speech about the rich club members is one of the highlights. I hope Eric Stoltz realizes what a great honor it is to have shared the last on-screen moments of this legendary man.
