A grieving family, whose teenage daughter was killed in a car accident by a drunk driver, struggles to find justice as they encounter bureaucratic delays in bringing the case to trial. Their only hope is young, District At... more »torney Martin Sawyer (Denzel Washington, The Great Debaters, American Gangster), who, ruling after ruling, is hard-pressed to overcome the shameless tactics the defense lawyer uses to keep his wealthy client out of jail. As the family's frustration and outrage builds, Sawyer must deliver the performance of his life if he hopes to outwit the opposing counsel and bring justice to an innocent girl who didn't deserve to die.« less
Very dated but what a great plotline and cast of characters. Denzel Washington plays a solid but uneventful role for the most part compared to others. A tearjerker at times and a must watch!
Rebecca T. (becky9684) from ITHACA, NY Reviewed on 3/16/2009...
A grieving family whose daughter was killed in a car crash with a drunken driver is outraged and frustrated as they encounter the inevitable bureaucratic delays in bringing the case to trial. Once in the courtroom they are horror stricken as the young, hard pressed district attorney seems unable to overcome the technicalities and maneuverings that the drivers attorney uses to keep his client out of jail and still on the streets as a legal driver. When the judge is forced to rule time and again un favor or the defense, it appears that the driver might escape punishment altogether.
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Movie Reviews
License to Kill (NOT the 007 movie)
Laurie S. | Portland, OR, USA | 09/16/2005
(1 out of 5 stars)
"Dud. Dull. Drab. Predictable. Formula. Overuse of cliche. This overly simple story line spells out the evils of drunk driving and the havoc it wreaks on the innocent by featuring one family's struggle to cope, not only with the death of a young daughter with her whole life ahead of her, but also the frustrations with the legal system in dealing with the aftermath. The script is tedious and the actors can do little to overcome it's simplistic, stilted feeling, including never transforming the actors into real-feeling characters. The actors actually looked awkward with one another. I have no idea who wrote it, but it feels like perhaps they were about 12 years old and this was a class project. I could not figure out who the audience was supposed to be -- junior high Sunday School classes perhaps, this being part of the chapter about the importance of being responsible about drugs, smoking and alcohol. Denzel Washington, whose name is being featured prominently to sell this DVD, though not the major charater in the story, was clearly at the outset of his career, trying hard, but awkward and only okay. James Farantino and Don Murray did somewhat better, but still were not all that convincing -- alternately overacting and walking through their roles. I kept waiting for it to get better and to find someone or something to relate to, but it never happened because the whole thing was too Dick&Jane.
"
False advertisement
S. Johnson | Michigan United States | 11/22/2006
(2 out of 5 stars)
"The producers of this movie are geniuses. This movie is skillfully marketed as if Denzel is the lead actor when in fact he is only in the last half of the film (more like the last half hour of the film). I only bought it because I love Denzel. By the time he made it to the screen, I was already sleep. This movie is quite horrid. The story line drags, the actors are boring and the outcome is fairly predictable. The only satisfaction I received from the film is that he played a lawyer."
STIFF BUT EFFECTIVE
Michael Butts | Martinsburg, WV USA | 01/20/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This tv movie is hopelessly preachy and manipulative, but it does bring to the front the tragic issue of drunk driving. A talented and lively high school senior is killed by a drunk driver; her family tries to deal with the guilt and the father is determined to bring the driver to justice. The script is cliched, but it does try to look at both sides of the coin and focus on the alcoholic issue as well as vehicular manslaughter. Denzel Washington makes one of his earlier appearances as the prosecuting attorney but the writers don't give him much to do. James Farentino and Penny Fuller, along with Don Murray and Millie Perkins, do an okay job in showing the anguish of the victim and the perpetrator. Not a classic but not a dud either."
Can I give negative stars please???
Zekiye A. Selvili | Fullerton, CA | 12/05/2006
(1 out of 5 stars)
"The previous posters did a good job of describing everything that is wrong with this movie. If I hadn't paid for it, I would have never watched it. I would prefer staring at a blank TV screen."
License To Kill-DVD
Ronald W. Wagner | Minnesota USA | 03/24/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a great movie. I love Denzel Washington and this movie has a lot of action scenes. I would recommend it to anyone."