Outrage!

This is an amazing film in many ways. It is a court case of universal significance, as it questions and challenges the entire system of justice. An ordinary law-abiding citizen (Robert Preston in his last film) buys a gun and uses it to premeditatedly kill the man who raped and murdered his daughter, who was brought to trial but released because of formal technicalities of the law. The father takes responsibility for his deliberate murder, but he still has to have a lawyer for the defence, and Beau Bridges becomes the lawyer, specially chosen for the case by the judge, who is Burgess Meredith. Another old veteran graces this film by his presence, and that is Mel Ferrer as the high court judge who had to release the rapist. Beau Bridges brings him on as a witness for the defence, and Mel Ferrer's demonstrative testimony proves the turning point of the case.

Seldom has a court case been so admirably acted and presented on film, it becomes more exciting than any thriller, as the whole audience and public gets involved and concerned parts of the case, and of course there is even the vulture parasite, the publisher who wants to make money on the outrage, played by the English show actor Anthony Newley, who made his debut as the Artful Dodger in David Lean's "Oliver Twist" 1948 30 years earlier. All the actors are brilliant and show their best, especially Beau Bridges, I have never seen him better, and Burgess Meredith as the acid judge, and of course Robert Preston in his final bow. It's a wonderful film and worth watching a number of times never to be forgotten.

Robert Preston's farewell performance is in this fine made for TV movie Outrage! If you watch this film outrage is exactly what you will feel.

The film opens with Preston buying 38 caliber pistol after being assured it will 'do the job' in a state with less stringent gun control laws then coming back to New York City and after tracking him down, emptying the pistol into the body of Stan Haze who got off on a technicality after raping and killing Preston's daughter Susan Mackin who is only seen in flashback.

After committing this act Preston walks into a police station and gives himself up and waives counsel and makes a full statement as to what he did and why.

Judge Burgess Meredith in a move who truly regrets asks young attorney Beau Bridges recently of the DA's office to take the case and defend Preston. A lawyer is supposed to defend his client zealously, but not quite as zealously as Bridges does when he put the system on trial itself.

Preston is a truly broken man, he's got one surviving child, a son who became a priest and lives and works in a remote part of South America, one son killed in Vietnam and this daughter who died. His wife Selma Archerd dies shortly after the dismissal of charges in the daughter's case. Preston feels he's got nothing to live for. Makes him a truly dangerous man to one he hates.

Purportedly the object of our legal system is justice. Justice went quite a bit awry here. When Bridges questions the whole system that led to this Outrage! he walks on the fighting side of Burgess Meredith.

Colleagues do stick together and the 'system' is what these guys live by. And as Meredith says after many contempt citations judges have long memories. His colleague on the original rape case is played by Mel Ferrer. For his defense strategy Bridges borrows from what Clarence Darrow did to William Jennings Bryan in the Scopes Monkey Trial.

Some good performances come from Linda Purl as Bridges wife and big breadwinner in the family at this point, William Allen Young as the Assistant District Attorney, and most of all from Anthony Newley.

Newley is one of those bottom feeding agents who wants the rights to Preston's and Bridges story. He's already spending his agent's commission on book and movie rights to be. He's loathsome, but he might prove necessary for the future.

This is one outstanding made for TV film and as good a one for Preston to go out on as The Shootist for John Wayne and The Misfits for Clark Gable.

The most stunning thing about "Outrage" is not so much the intriguing storyline, but rather the fact that it was produced by Irwin Allen, the "Master of Disaster" of '70s cinema, and also responsible for erstwhile sci-fi TV series of the '60s like "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" and "Lost In Space." His productions are usually criticized for their lack of attention to the finer details like the script and dramatic performances. But here, he surprises his critics (and fans) with a taut, and timely subject that is more "Law and Order" than "Poseidon Adventure." No action sequences, no explosions or people running around in rubber monster suits. Just good acting with a provocative plot line.

My only complaint is that Robert Preston's character seemed a bit 'dated' by 1986 in the way he lived through his religion....I mean, I didn't know many New York Irish Catholics in the '80s that were THAT religious (particularly a man). I assume the director wanted his Catholicism 'played to the hilt" to emphasis Preston was above reproach to further the courtroom dramatics.

I saw this movie in 86, and later noticed it was remade, starring Beau Bridges, in 97 "Defenders: Payback". Same premise carefully retold 11 years later, only with John Larroquette as the vigilante "I don't want no attorney" father, instead of the original with Robert Preston. Though the suspect chase would be used in the other "Defenders" TV movie "Choice Of Evils".

More or less, a decent Hollywood justice type of film If you take it for what it is in that context. The main idea is to show the viewers that not all homicide cases are black & white. Instead, this film attempts to show (or rather pose to) the viewer, how YOU might react if your child's rapist or molester had been released on a technicality, even though he confessed to the crime. Would YOU become a vigilante too?

Great movie! It really makes one think about how the Justice system really does work. Great story and performances by all, especially by Beau Bridges. See it!