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Parents' Guide to

...And Justice for All

By Alistair Lawrence, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

'70s courtroom drama has swearing, violence, sex.

Movie R 1979 119 minutes
...And Justice for All Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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What's the Story?

…AND JUSTICE FOR ALL tells the story of idealistic lawyer Arthur Kirkland (Al Pacino) who is forced to defend a judge he has frequently clashed with in the past.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

This slightly chaotic judicial drama might lack the neatness of other movies in the genre or the realism of other movies from the same era. But …And Justice for All remains an ambitious attempt to show how authority figures both struggle against and manipulate a flawed legal system. Pacino does a dependable job as courageous everyman Kirkland, revisiting the kind of role he was able to explore with greater nuance in Serpico. He's also able to raise the roof and the volume in the movie's more combustible moments without wildly overacting, which is where several of his co-stars come unstuck.

The "main" plot line revolving around Kirkland being forced to defend the monstrous Judge Fleming (John Forsythe) gets slightly buried in the melee, but does fuel the fire of Kirkland's discontent. This drives ...And Justice for All toward a final act that makes no attempt to hide the irony of its title. While undercut slightly by some misjudged comedic scenes along the way, this is still one for Pacino completists to tick off their watch lists.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Familes can talk about how the judicial system is portrayed in ...And Justice for All. What do you think the filmmakers were trying to say about the legal process? Did you think it was an accurate portrayal?

  • Discuss the violence in the movie. Much of it was discussed rather than shown. Did that make it any less shocking? Why, or why not? Does exposure to violent media desensitize kids to violence?

  • Talk about Arthur Kirkland. Would you describe him as a good role model? What were his positive/negative attributes?

  • Discuss the strong language used. Did it seem necessary or excessive? What did it contribute to the movie?

  • How was sex portrayed? Was it affectionate? Respectful? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.

Movie Details

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