Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

JinRoz For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Matho The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

bombersflyup Anatomy of a Murder is a great showcase of the defense lawyer and the prosecutor, though unendearing.It is certainly an engaging court room drama, but it lacks being anything more than that, so I wouldn't call it a great film. James Stewart and George C Scott are terrific in the their roles, but most of the other characters failed to bring much to the film. With the long run-time it certainly needed more.

frankwiener But is there a man alive in Michigan's Upper Peninsula who hasn't seen them?The success of this film is the result of its outstanding cast and, for me, its authentic location in the area where the true story actually occurred, the remote and unique Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The location was genuine to the extent that the bar where much of the movie's action occurred was the same place where the original murder was committed in 1952.I am very thankful that director Otto Preminger refused to allow Lana Turner to model her fancy gowns as Laura Manion and that he had the insight to choose a much more appealing newcomer, Lee Remick, instead. Gowns in a trailer camp? That would be ridiculous, Lana. With her usual stiffness and self-consciousness, Turner would have significantly weakened the action while Remick's natural impertinence, radiant beauty, and simmering sexuality lured me into a script that I might otherwise have found to be dull and lifeless. Beyond her very pleasing physical appearance, Remick's smooth acting ability was established beyond a doubt here and her performance in this film launched her career, which peaked only a few years later in her Oscar nominated role as Kirsten Arnesen Clay in "The Days of Wine and Roses" (1962). When Lee Remick died at the young age of 55, it was a very sad day for Hollywood and for all of us "out here in the dark" who truly loved her and still love her.In addition to Remick's lively portrayal as Laura Manion, the wife of the accused and the supposed victim of the alleged rape that triggered the murder in the first place, we are treated to top notch performances by James Stewart as Paul Biegler, her husband's embittered defense attorney, Ben Gazzara as Lt. Frederic Manion, the accused husband, and George C. Scott as the visiting prosecutor from the state capital of Lansing. Add to that dynamic list an always entertaining, wise-cracking Eve Arden ("Mildred Pierce, "Our Miss Brooks") as Biegler's loyal legal administrator and a lovely Kathryn Grant Crosby ("The Phenix City Story", "Seven Voyages of Sinbad", and several Bing Crosby Christmas TV specials) as a miscast but still very attractive Mary Pilant, who plays a critical role in the film's final outcome. Also among the very entertaining cast is Arthur O'Connell in his Oscar nominated role as an endearing Parnell McCarthy, Biegler's devoted but alcoholic sidekick. As to Laura Manion's panties, the intimate article of clothing that played such a pivotal role in her husband's trial, the fast living wife of the murder suspect struck me as a woman who often lost track of her panties, so you'll have to decide on your own whether Barney Quill actually raped her or whether she was rather a willing, consensual partner. While the Manions may appear to be a very engaging couple at first glance, we should know to approach them with an abundance of caution. Watch this one for the outstanding cast, the intriguing, authentic locale, the quirky, interesting characterizations, and that classic and very cool 1949 Pontiac Silver Streak convertible in which Stewart and O'Connell tool around town. It takes a special breed to ride through the UP of Michigan with the top down at any time of the year.

sharky_55 Most court drama have an agenda going in - a bias to uncover and attack, a crime to solve, a mystery to unlock. They feel almost like a detective novel at times; information is doled out as required and at the end the audience is satisfied by how the script has forged a perfect and neat conclusion from the bits and pieces. Otto Preminger's Anatomy of a Murder does not follow this framework. It doesn't have a pre-planned narrative it wants to unfold, or an angle that wants to be highlighted. There are the usual courtroom flourishes, but they echo a sentiment from Preminger that these should not be dramatised or glamourised in any way, lest they mar the objectivity of the jury process. But of course, they do. Preminger's actors understand the roles that they play - how their roles are doubled in themselves, how they have to step up in the courtroom as lawyers putting on a performance. Stewart is brilliant; he slips so easily into that persona as if it was like putting on a hat himself, and making the weary hobby fisherman disappear. To win this case he doesn't need a justification, just an excuse, as he so snidely whispers to Manion at the beginning. And then he makes a big show out of it, pushing the rules of the courtroom to its peak theatricality: throwing his hands up into the air at injustice served, loudly slamming his palm into the opposition's table, using wisecracks at the right moments, and crucial, perfectly planned accusatory questions that are struck off from the record, but not from the jury's minds, or the screen. Preminger makes a clear note of these occurrences, because it happens many times and with great effect on the case.Lee Remick knows her role too, to be the fetching, coquettish object of desire that may or may not be the adulterous trigger that starts this chain of events. She doesn't seem like a rape victim, some have pointed out. She is of course deliberately flirtatious and touchy-feely because Preminger wants to throw her claims up into the air. Remick shows great range here, from the way she flashes a dazzling smile and flourishes her long golden locks (again, a performance intended to show off) when asked to remove her hat and shed the puritan image, to the way she breaks down into tears on the stand, and how her first appearance is sprawled out seductively on the couch at Biegler and asking her to address him as Laura. We see persuasive arguments for both sides of this women, and from both the defense and prosecution - we see all the facts, all the testimonies, all the research that Biegler goes through to prepare his position.And even at 2 hours 40 minutes it doesn't seem a touch dull at all. The scenes of the courthouse proceedings themselves could have been boring and dragging, but they are livened by a script that is quick on its toes and clearly communicates all the legal jargon, as well as imaginative staging. The triangles that Leavitt composes drip with dramatic intensity - always a figure lurking in the middle background gazing intently, eyes flicking from head to head, as the momentum swings back and forth. So delicately is this handled that even nearing the ending of the film with mere minutes to go, we have no idea what the jury's outcome will be. Preminger doesn't offer straight, simple answers, but offers the audience a seat in the jury itself, and shows us how these facts can be twisted in that fateful building.

Thanos Karagioras "Anatomy of a Murder" is a mystery movie in which we have a murder trial of a man who killed an another man who raped his wife. The defendant of him supports all his defense in the psychiatrist result which was that the killer is suffered of temporary insanity at the time that he did the crime. On the other hand the prosecution supports that the killer was fine when he did the crime and they avoid to talk about his raped wife.I liked this movie because of the plot and the storyline because it was full of swifts and had much of suspense. I also liked this movie because of the direction of the Otto Preminger who I believe did a great job on it. About the interpretation I have to admit that James Stewart who played as Paul Biegler was simply outstanding for one more time and I also liked the interpretation of Lee Remick who played as Laura Manion. Another interpretation that has to be mentioned is Ben Gazzara's who played as Lt. Frederick Manion and he was really good at it.Finally I have to say that "Anatomy of a Murder" is a great movie to watch because it has plenty of scenes in which you can not expect what will come up and how this will change the whole plot of the movie. This I believe is the most important thing that this movie has and makes it so good, I strongly recommend it.