Claudio Carvalho
In 1996, there is a triple homicide in a dinning place, and Sergeant Larry Starczek (Tom Selleck) is in charge of the investigation. His lover, the ambitious prosecuting attorney Muriel Wynn (Monica Potter) follows him and they get the name of a suspect. The smalltime crook Romeo 'Squirrel' Gandolph (Glenn Plummer) is arrested, confesses the crime and is sentenced to the death row. Seven years later, Muriel is married and has had a meteoric professional ascension in her career; Starczek is retired; and the judge of the case Gillian Sullivan (Felicity Huffman) has just been released from prison after the accusation of bribery. A couple of weeks before the execution of Squirrel, the corporate lawyer Arthur Raven (William H. Macy) is assigned by his associates to defend Squirrel for free as a part of a political marketing. However, the confession of a cancerous prisoner assuming that he had committed the murder reopens the case exposing secrets and wounds.I have never read Scott Turow's novel and I really liked "Reversible Errors" a lot, actually a great surprise as a drama, thriller and even film-noir. I can understand the disappointment of the viewers that had read the book first and saw the movie later since the same usually happens with me. But the performances of William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman, in the first plane, followed by Monica Potter and Glenn Plummer are awesome and must be acknowledged and recognized even for those that did not like the film. I liked very much the despicable, ambitious and ambiguous character of Monica Potter. The story has an excellent beginning, then it slows down, but the plot points, the dirty and amoral behavior of Starczek inclusive destroying evidences and the romance between Gillian and Arthur hold the interest on the plot until the last scene in spite of the running time of 172 minutes. Last but not the least, in my opinion, this movie is underrated in IMDb. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Erros Irreversíveis" ("Irreversible Errors")
George Parker
"Reversible Errors" is a three hour film noir TV B-movie which tells a convoluted tale of a homicide cop (Selleck), his prosecutor lover (Potter), a defense attorney (Macy), and a judge (Huffman) who all become involved in a triple homicide investigation, a possible wrongful conviction, and another investigation to find the real killer(s). As the film wends its way toward its feel good conclusion - which seems too long in coming - it delves into sex, scandal, drugs, deceit, conspiracy, politics, infidelity, and more all served up in good old fashioned Hollywood movie style; not particularly convincing or believable but not ashamed about it either. A mildly entertaining whodunit which does an acceptable job of covering it's low budgetness with a mediocre score, Canadian locations, and an uneven production which focuses on the characters in a handful of sets (court, prison, lawyer offices, etc.), this PG-13ish film will make a so-so no brainer lets-stay-in-tonight TV watch for the not too jaded or discriminating. (B-)
BrunoX
I found this movie to be extremely well written but uneven. Writing is superb, criminal side to it is involving as the secrets are revealed, but the movie mainly concentrate on two couples: the one where Macy is concerned had me emotionally linked, while the other, lead by stoic Selleck remains cold and uninvolved. You end up hating one couple whose actions brings to light the past of the other. So if you're interested in criminal thrillers, you'll enjoy it. If you are a William H Macy fan, you'll love it, but if you're a Tom Selleck fan, well, aside from him showing his naked butt, you won't get any thrills. Mustache should have been told to lose the typical western face in this one or to lose his underwear earlier in his career when he wasn't 30 pounds too fat for us to care.
vchimpanzee
The movie starts with the introduction of several main characters, some of which are naked before we ever really get to know them. But these two characters have to put their clothes on quickly, because there is a triple murder to investigate.The first half of the movie had lots of exciting twists and turns and many great acting performances. I would say everyone with more than five lines the first night--and a waitress who was great with only three lines--did a good job. To me, the standout performances came from three actors:Glenn Plummer as Squirrel, a nervous African American prisoner suspected of the murders, who had a speech impediment and frightened quite easily, even though he had apparently spent a lot of time on the wrong side of the law.James Rebhorn as Erno, the head of security for the airport where murder victim Louisa Remardi worked, especially after he ... you can read about it after the spoiler warning.Shemar Moore as Collins, a demanding prisoner with critical information about Louisa's murder, and the black nephew of Erno, who was white. Again, I can't say just why he was so good without a spoiler warning.The first half could have been an exciting movie in and of itself, because enough loose ends were wrapped up, and enough information had been presented, to decide the case ... if it had all been true. But certain things weren't quite right. I knew they wouldn't be because I knew the movie was continued on Tuesday.Unfortunately, I found the second half less enjoyable. Most of the information had been presented, though new revelations were still to come. Too much time was spent on relationships, and the excitement level was uneven. Good performances still made even the second half worth seeing. But the ending proved to be less than dramatic. Many movies like this, and most 'Perry Mason' and 'Matlock' episodes, have the suspense and the amazing plot twist that leads to, say, an exciting confession. This movie just ended. And the ending couldn't just be an ending. The future of some of the relationships had to be established.I have to wonder if this was intentional: the detective on the triple murder case was named Larry, and the man who studied the murder weapon and bullets was Moe. So where was Curly?This movie certainly wasn't for kids. Bad language and dialogue almost pushed the limits of what network TV allows, and one particularly nasty crime kept tripping up the investigation of the murders. You don't hear much about this particular act on network TV, which is fine with me.Still, I would say this was worth seeing. ************************SPOILERS FOLLOW*****************************Erno became terminally ill by the end of the first half, which gave Rebhorn more of a challenge as the movie progressed.Collins became 'born again', and certain events he wished he could put behind him finally had to come out. He asked Jesus for forgiveness all the time, but only when he was chased and confronted did he come clean. Moore effectively portrayed the dramatic change in the character. Yes, his race was a factor in the case. Gillian, the judge who tried Squirrel's case, was an alcoholic and a drug addict who eventually did prison time--not a guarantee Squirrel would be released, but information helpful to the case. By the time Gillian was released, that case was being handled by Arthur, who found himself attracted to Gillian.The 'nasty crime' wasn't the crime it was believed to be, but it was disgusting nonetheless.