Serpico or Dog Day Afternoon. And this is that, to an extent -- Pacino delivers dramatic monologues and slams things in anger. But he also goes on a whimsical helicopter ride with a suicidal judge (Jack Warden) and faces down his partner (Jeffrey Tambor) as he manically throws cafeteria dishes at building security. ...And Justice for All is weird. It’s got its chocolate all up in its peanut butter.
But the more I think about it, the more I think that this is a Two for the Money or an Any Given Sunday, a Pacino film with so much strange personality that it becomes endearing. Nothing about it upset me, really; it’s full of good performances and carries a resonant message about our flawed pursuit of justice. When it decides it wants to be about that, it succeeds, and I couldn’t help but get kind of caught up in its cockeyed orbit. I think that’s because none of its discor&ce is really discor&t, if that makes sense. Everything clashes, but it’s not loud. It works enough in the ways that it has to in order to stay interesting. But boy, it’s strange.
But the more I think about it, the more I think that this is a Two for the Money or an Any Given Sunday, a Pacino film with so much strange personality that it becomes endearing. Nothing about it upset me, really; it’s full of good performances and carries a resonant message about our flawed pursuit of justice. When it decides it wants to be about that, it succeeds, and I couldn’t help but get kind of caught up in its cockeyed orbit. I think that’s because none of its discor&ce is really discor&t, if that makes sense. Everything clashes, but it’s not loud. It works enough in the ways that it has to in order to stay interesting. But boy, it’s strange.
Author, Author. Pacino is really terrific in ...And Justice For All (although he doesn’t play broad comedy well...e.g. the helicopter digression with Jack Warden is something out of Used Cars), but I feel like he’s often in a different movie than the one Norman Jewison is making. It’s not the actor’s fault, because Pacino is being true to his character and the rest of the film is throwing tonal obstacles at him every five minutes. ...And Justice For All is certainly a curiosity but feels inferior to the previous Pacino-Lumet collaborations I couldn’t help compare it to. It’s firmly in the 2.5 star out of 4 group for me, but feels worse because of how incredible The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon are. ...And Justice For All is the movie Adam McKay would have made in 1979.
Rob: All of your points are well taken, and I absolutely agree that the tonal inconsistencies sink so many would-be great moments that the film can’t escape the 2.5-star range. But I think it’s my love for stuff like The Wire or Serial Season 3 — other works that address our societal ills with both brutal darkness and abstrak humor — that keeps me on the mixed/positive side. They’re very different works, of course, but it’s that “laugh to keep from crying” principle (like the moment where Judge Rayford is interrupted trying to eat his shotgun in the bathroom) that occasionally gives the film a pulse, for good or ill. It could also be all my time spent as a high school teacher — a small cog in an often brutal wheel, alternately laughing and crying over the absurdity of my job, depending on the hour — that helped me connect. But we all have that feeling at work, so who knows? Any way you slice it, ...And Justice for All pales in comparison to the Serpicos and Dog Day Afternoons in Al’s filmography.
So as you said before: ...And Justice for All would have been far better served choosing one or the other: Make a quirky workplace dramedy about a little fish in a big pond, a dogged do-gooder looking for love and taking down corrupt bureaucrats (the David E. Kelly route), or make a Lumet-style epic that grinds Al down and forces him to his absolute humanist, existential limit and culminates in the brilliant monologue for which the film is so well remembered. There might be a middle ground, but it’s not here. Especially not when the Tambor/Warden stuff is mostly played for laughs, while the threads involving Kirkland’s main clients (Thomas G. Waite’s wrongfully-accused McCullaugh and Robert Christian’s transgender Agee) result in tragedy. Maybe the key is Christine Lahti’s Gail Packer, an ethics investigator with whom Kirkland becomes romantically involved: She’s presented as a kind of foil for Kirkland because she can’t see the forest for the trees the way he can. But does she ever really challenge him? Does she have real efficacy? It feels like a wasted opportunity, as does the brilliant Lee Strasberg as Al’s grandpa, whose few scenes largely repeat thematic beats rather than reinforce new ones. If only those threads had come together a little tighter.
Adam: Yeah, everything on its own is fine. It’s just most of the material feels like we’re going over it twice or the conversations end up repeating the same points. I liked the theme song (“Something Funny Goin’ On”) that plays as an instrumental version over the opening credits and with lyrics during the end credits. It’s fun! JB sent me a text with a video of him singing it. He has a history with this movie that I’d love for him to tell everyone in the comments.
This is shaping up to be a giant year for Al Pacino. He has a supporting role in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, is playing Jimmy Hoffa in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, and most recently has been tapped to star in a Jor& Peele-executive produced television series called The Hunt. We haven’t gotten into much of Al’s work this decade yet (it’s spotty if you don’t count his HBO movies), so I’m glad he’s finishing it out strong.
Rob: Nazi hunter Al? What did I do to deserve this blessing? But is it strange that The Irishman feels like a bit of a wild card right now? It’s not that I don’t have faith in Scorsese or that I don’t think he has the energy for a gangster epic (The Wolf of Wall Street was only six years ago). I just hope Bobby and Joey and Al and Harvey and the gang all bring their A-game for what looks like one of Marty’s last hurrahs in this genre. I don’t want it to feel tired, stuffy, or derivative. I know I shouldn’t even have doubts, so I’ll just classify these comments as more of a “cautious curiosity.” Either way, it’s going to be a great year for Pacino fans.
Adam: The only thing that gives me pause with The Irishman is the de-aging technology they’re using. I just don’t want to be distracted by it. I’m most excited that Joe Pesci is returning to film. I miss that guy. Next week we’ll be back with more Reserved Seating. The topic is TBD! Until next time…
Rob: These seats are reserved.
Rob: All of your points are well taken, and I absolutely agree that the tonal inconsistencies sink so many would-be great moments that the film can’t escape the 2.5-star range. But I think it’s my love for stuff like The Wire or Serial Season 3 — other works that address our societal ills with both brutal darkness and abstrak humor — that keeps me on the mixed/positive side. They’re very different works, of course, but it’s that “laugh to keep from crying” principle (like the moment where Judge Rayford is interrupted trying to eat his shotgun in the bathroom) that occasionally gives the film a pulse, for good or ill. It could also be all my time spent as a high school teacher — a small cog in an often brutal wheel, alternately laughing and crying over the absurdity of my job, depending on the hour — that helped me connect. But we all have that feeling at work, so who knows? Any way you slice it, ...And Justice for All pales in comparison to the Serpicos and Dog Day Afternoons in Al’s filmography.
Adam: Yeah, everything on its own is fine. It’s just most of the material feels like we’re going over it twice or the conversations end up repeating the same points. I liked the theme song (“Something Funny Goin’ On”) that plays as an instrumental version over the opening credits and with lyrics during the end credits. It’s fun! JB sent me a text with a video of him singing it. He has a history with this movie that I’d love for him to tell everyone in the comments.
Rob: Nazi hunter Al? What did I do to deserve this blessing? But is it strange that The Irishman feels like a bit of a wild card right now? It’s not that I don’t have faith in Scorsese or that I don’t think he has the energy for a gangster epic (The Wolf of Wall Street was only six years ago). I just hope Bobby and Joey and Al and Harvey and the gang all bring their A-game for what looks like one of Marty’s last hurrahs in this genre. I don’t want it to feel tired, stuffy, or derivative. I know I shouldn’t even have doubts, so I’ll just classify these comments as more of a “cautious curiosity.” Either way, it’s going to be a great year for Pacino fans.
Adam: The only thing that gives me pause with The Irishman is the de-aging technology they’re using. I just don’t want to be distracted by it. I’m most excited that Joe Pesci is returning to film. I miss that guy. Next week we’ll be back with more Reserved Seating. The topic is TBD! Until next time…
Rob: These seats are reserved.
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