Alyssa Black (Aly200) A burned out former civil rights lawyer and his hero-worshiping clerk are attempting to free an innocent man, but the web is trickier than they expected. That is the basic plot of this lesser known legal drama starring James Woods and Robert Downey, Jr. The performances by Woods and Downey, Jr. are the film's highlight. James Woods brings his trademark sarcasm and wit to the role of Eddie Dodd, the disillusioned lawyer who went from the best to a low-level defender of drug peddlers. When Downey, Jr.'s Roger Baron arrives on the scene and fanatically pushes Eddie to take the case of a Korean inmate who might've been wrongly convicted, Woods goes just barely over the top as he chews Downey out for his idolization of him. However Eddie Dodd realizes that what he sees in his new clerk is the same spirit Dodd himself once had and pursues the case. The chemistry between Woods and Downey, Jr. make for the best of the film's out of court scenes and for some heartfelt moments.The plot of the film is relatively simple as it plays like a "race against time" to find out the true culprit. However the filmmakers make this cliché work to their advantage as the web of lies grow more elaborate until the final reveal of the true villain. The tension is paced well and doesn't try to move into a genre the film is not.

g-bodyl The last decade of the twentieth century is known for the millions of courtroom dramas produced. At the turn of that decade, True Believer was released and countless numbers followed. For the film itself, it was actually pretty good though it seems no one has seen the film. It has all what you would expect in a courtroom drama and it was done fairly well. The film was tense and it has some stirring moments. However, the film needs editing work done as there are many continuity issues and it gives the overall story arch some unnecessary problems.This film is about a lawyer named Eddie Dodd who used to be a civil rights lawyer and now he is a worn-down defender for drug users. With the help of a younger lawyer just out of grad school Roger Baron, Dodd decides to open an eight-year-old case involving an Asian guy who was wrongly convicted of a gang hit. Now Dodd must fight against wormy prosecutors, corrupt cops, and racial Nazis just to even stay alive.Roger Ebert has the perfect quote for James Woods performance as he called him "hypnotically watchable." I happen to agree that Woods deliver an excellent performance as he does not hold anything back. Plus you have to give credit to his hairstyle making him look like a lawyer from the 1770's. On the other hand, I didn't quite buy Robert Downey Jr's performance. He is a fantastic actor, but his role here irritated me. He has some good moments, but not enough to prove his worth.Overall, True Believer is a fine courtroom film that is energized by the fiery James Woods performance. If he was not here, this movie would have been mediocre at best. But the film itself is thrilling and there are even some chilling aspects to the film, almost horror-film like. But there are also some action scenes and chases that will keep normal filmgoers interested. I thought the actual court case was interesting and it shows how racist Americans can be, even twenty plus years after the Civil Rights Act. I rate this film 8/10.

namashi_1 'True Believer' is A Fair Entertainer, with a Winning Performance by James Woods! Woods delivers one of his best performances in this 1989 Courtroom Drama, and he without a doubt, is the biggest merit of this film.'True Believer' Synopsis: A cynical former civil liberties attorney now reduced to "specializing" in defending drug dealers becomes transformed by an eight-year-old murder case.Wesley Strick's Screenplay is average in the first-hour, but is arresting & absorbing in the second-hour. I really liked the second-hour of the film, it really caught my attention. Joseph Ruben Directs this Courtroom Drama, nicely. Cinematography, Editing, Art Design & Costume Design, are satisfactory. Performance-Wise: Woods, obviously, is the show-stealer. As mentioned, The Acting Legend delivers one of his best performances in here. He really rips it up in every scene. Robert Downey Jr. is good. Margaret Colin supports well. Yuji Okumoto is passable, while Kurtwood Smith is excellent. Others fill the bill.On the whole, 'True Believer' is a decent film, with Woods ruling the show with a memorable performance.

George Parker "True Believer" is all about James Woods as a once renown trial lawyer who, having been beaten down by the system, is encouraged by a rookie lawyer (Downey) to try to reclaim the moral high ground by defending a possibly innocent man imprisoned for murder. The film gets busy and stays busy conjuring countless situations for Woods to do what he does best, emoting and ranting, as he gets beat up both in and out of the courtroom. A nominal melodramatic blast from the past, this flick suffers from tweaking and contrivances while ending like every episode of Perry Mason. A okay watch for Woods fans and aficionados of court-room dramas. (B-)