I think every actor should be required to lead in a courtroom drama. Ed Harris has a great career, and this movie is another bright spot for him.
Being a TV movie and unavailable on any official streaming services-even libraries-my expectations weren't the highest. It's got that particular sort of piano-heavy music that sounds like any TV movie of that time, the story isn't exactly an enigma, and not everything is wrapped up as wholly as it could have been.
However, I have to say it was better than I predicted. Even on this scale, the dialogue, framing of scenes, and the characterizations were produced with such care and integrity. I can honestly say that more effort went into this than some huge budget movies that get pumped out today. It also helps when the lead is as charismatic and intense as Ed Harris can be-likewise for the antagonist as well.
The thing about courtroom dramas that draws me in is the moral questions that are everywhere. Nash (Harris) is immediately dealing with pretty profound feelings of guilt for his role in navigating reprehensible people through the justice system successfully. This skill becomes too much for him to bear that he considers quitting before meeting a woman who comes attached with another complicated case. With a conflict of interest now involved, Nash has to attempt to do a job he's losing faith in while seeking the one thing he's been trained to diminish: the truth.
Also, while most of the movie is moving along in predictable ways, I will say that there is a slight subversion they sneak in there regarding another previous client of Nash that I was certain would lead to a different conclusion. Thankfully, the plot gets more twisty than what I originally envisioned from that moment on. This twist is pretty good, too, even if it should have been predictable as well, in hindsight. David Suchet provides an excellent performance.
The final moments actually worried me regarding the choice Nash would make, and I very much enjoyed how they revealed the outcome to us. However, I was immediately interested in the implications for Stafford's conviction and Nash's career. Unfortunately, the movie doesn't answer those questions, and I'm not sure there's sufficient evidence for the audience to make reasonable conclusions. For me, I'd say Stafford goes free and Nash quits regardless of the trouble he got himself in-but I wouldn't object to other theories at all.
Finally, I think the title, "The Last Innocent Man" is strong. For me, it implicates the end of this line of work for Nash. He was tired of working against real justice, and in his mind, had decided to give a guilty man his innocence for the last time. It can also mean other things, which is what makes the title so solid.
Watch for young Ed Harris, who embodies the definition of "cool" as he shows he can lead any type of movie.
WATCHED ON: YouTube
HIGHER OR LOWER: higher, but very good where it's at.
