SHORT TAKES III

Dermot Mulroney and Michael Cudlitz

Silent Witness (2011 telefilm) Director: Peter Markle. A lawyer, Tony (Dermot Mulroney) who was once accused of a rape-murder, goes back to his home town to defend an old friend (Michael Cudlitz) who has been accused of killing a teenage girl with whom he was having an affair. Well-acted and absorbing, with a degree of suspense and a satisfying wind-up. Anne Heche is effective as the defendant's wife; Judd Hirsch scores as a legal associate of Tony's. Anthony Ruivivar and Lisa Berry are also notable in supporting roles. ***.

McConaughey and Phillippe

The Lincoln Lawyer (2011). Director: Brad Furman. Mick Haller (Matthew McConaughey) defends an entitled, homophobic creep named Louis (Ryan Phillippe) from a rape charge but begins to realize that his client may be even worse than he imagined. Performances help put over this suspense film, with notable work from the two leads as well as from Marisa Tomei as Mick's ex-wife and William H. Macy as his investigator. Macy apparently plays a gay character, but there is no discussion about Louis' remarks about the "faggots"who allegedly pulled him off his victim. Still, this is an interesting and attention-holding flick with some twists. **3/4.               

Bill Pullman

Innocent (2011 telefilm). Judge Rusty Sabich (Bill Pullman), who was acquitted years ago of murdering his mistress, is now put on trail for allegedly murdering his wife, Barbara (Marcia Gay Harden). Richard Schiff and Alfred Molina turn in good performances along with the leads. The picture is confusing at times because it bounces back and forth in time, although it has a decent score. Some of the developments are unlikely. Absorbing enough but ultimately minor. Based on a novel by Scott Turow, moderately well-known for the vastly over-rated Presumed Innocent. **3/4.

Switchback (1997) is a suspenseful, unpredictable and occasionally thrilling movie about an FBI man (Dennis Quiad) who searches for his son's abductor while another man (Danny Glover) picks up a hitchhiker (Jared Leto) and the audience wonders which is the serial killer. Quaid's actions sometimes seem strange, and there's a lot left unsaid about all of the characters but this is an absorbing and well-acted movie. Ted Levine and William Fichtner are also in the cast. Written and directed by Jeb Stuart. .

A Murder of Crows (1998) Cuba Gooding Jr. plays a man who becomes a celebrated author after presenting a dead man's manuscript as his own, but then winds up in deep crap when the book seems to detail a series of murders. Suspenseful if far-fetched, the entertaining picture features some good performances from Gooding, Tom Berenger, Eric Stoltz, Mark Pellegrino, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. Written and directed by Rowdy Herrington. ***.