Reversal of Fortune (1990)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Robert C

  
  To spite the fact that this is a film based on real information regarding real events and people...this film comes across like one of those ridiculous, late night soap / dramas from the 80's. (Think Dynasty or Dallas). Everyone comes across as over-the-top caricatures. But… More
  To spite the fact that this is a film based on real information regarding real events and people...this film comes across like one of those ridiculous, late night soap / dramas from the 80's. (Think Dynasty or Dallas). Everyone comes across as over-the-top caricatures. But who knows...perhaps these are accurate portrayals of the people they are meant to represent? In any case, it is a horrible and tragic story made all the more painful by these hammy, scenery chewing performances.

• Alice S

  
  After Fisher Stevens' first scene, Jim said, "This movie is off the hook," and we couldn't even figure out what "off the hook" meant in this case, but it certainly is. From the campy yet seemingly true portrayal of moneyed debauchery, to Glenn… More
  After Fisher Stevens' first scene, Jim said, "This movie is off the hook," and we couldn't even figure out what "off the hook" meant in this case, but it certainly is. From the campy yet seemingly true portrayal of moneyed debauchery, to Glenn Close's beyond-the-coma narration, to Jeremy Irons' deep-voiced, sometimes comical, accent. "Sawhny..." Good performances with a decent commentary on legality versus morality but slightly slow in parts.

• Ginny  

  
  <center><i>"This is the most dangerous case I have ever worked on. --- I am breaking every rule."</i><br><br><img… More
  <center><i>"This is the most dangerous case I have ever worked on. --- I am breaking every rule."</i><br><br><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/crashoverride001/GX7MREVIEWPENDING.jpg"></center><br><br><font size=1>Film adaptation of the book "Reversal of Fortune: Inside the von Bülow Case" by Alan Dershowitz, based on a true story.</font><br><br><b><br>Director: Barbet Schroeder<br><font size=1>Genre: Law, Drama, Crime & Mystery</font><br>

• Steve K

  
  Mesmerizing.

• Byron B

  
  I'm glad I watched this shortly after Witness for the Prosecution because they make good companion pieces. There are enough differences to make this an enjoyable movie on its own, but also some themes that are similar. Witness for the Prosecution, the play, was written in the… More
  I'm glad I watched this shortly after Witness for the Prosecution because they make good companion pieces. There are enough differences to make this an enjoyable movie on its own, but also some themes that are similar. Witness for the Prosecution, the play, was written in the early '50s, while the movie was made in the late '50s. This movie is about a real life court case from 1980 and the movie was made in 1990. So, around thirty years passed between the culture of the two. What happened in that time? Besides the freer use of language and portrayal of drug use, I think the most important difference is the cynicism. Witness for the Prosecution does eventually reveal the truth about the mystery. It's not entirely a clean cut, black and white, easy answer, but what really happened is revealed. With this story we are given options. We are shown a couple scenarios that could have happened and either are believable. Then we are left hanging. We get to know the victim (suicide? or murder?) much better since Close is our narrator. In a way, she is a modern reversal of the character Dietrich could have been. This movie presents us with Irons as the suspect, an upper class British character who does not show his emotions outwardly. This means he seems cold-hearted and perfectly able to murder. He is a reversal of Power's character since he has none of the charm and enjoys none of the public favor that Power's character did. Then we have Silver who plays an American Jewish lawyer who has the tough task of putting together the appeal. He has the same difficulty in getting to the truth of the matter with his client like Laughton did. Only in this movie he is a professor at Harvard, so he picks his best students to assist him in researching all the evidence that had made up the prosecution's case. This situation leads to a lot of interesting dialog about law, morality, and perception. Again the real mystery is about the questionable innocence or guilt of the suspect.

• Jeffrey M

  
  Ambiguous, fascinating, and riveting, Reversal of Fortune is not your average legal thriller. It portrays facts and speculation raised by both sides of the case, and treats the viewer as the jury, rather than spoon feeding you an answer. A remarkable true story. Jeremy Irons took home… More
  Ambiguous, fascinating, and riveting, Reversal of Fortune is not your average legal thriller. It portrays facts and speculation raised by both sides of the case, and treats the viewer as the jury, rather than spoon feeding you an answer. A remarkable true story. Jeremy Irons took home an Oscar for this, and I completely see why.

• Alec B

  
  It views 'truth' as an organic, evolving phenomenon. Perhaps, even if we have all the relevant facts and witnesses to an event, we can never truly know what occurred because we didn't see it, or if we did whatever occurred is subject to our own prejudices and… More
  It views 'truth' as an organic, evolving phenomenon. Perhaps, even if we have all the relevant facts and witnesses to an event, we can never truly know what occurred because we didn't see it, or if we did whatever occurred is subject to our own prejudices and perceptions. It turns what could be a standard legal drama into an examination of how people remember the past and how memory evolves as time passes. The performances are pretty great as well, which makes the film all the more engaging.

• Sunil J

  
  A unique and impressive courtroom drama.

• Matthew L

  
  This has to be one of the most intriguing and interesting stories in real life crime drama. Jeremy Irons deserved every bit of that Oscar gold for this unbelievable performance. He shines as this ice cold convicted murderer trying to appeal his case and hiring an outstanding Ron… More
  This has to be one of the most intriguing and interesting stories in real life crime drama. Jeremy Irons deserved every bit of that Oscar gold for this unbelievable performance. He shines as this ice cold convicted murderer trying to appeal his case and hiring an outstanding Ron Silver (RIP) to represent him. The story is captivating and it is even better being told by the coma victim Glenn Close. Everything about this movie is remarkable and it is not to be missed.

• MJS M

  
  A great true mystery and human drama. This is a film with a very interesting structure, not a simple flashback narrative or a straightforward story, but something original altogether. Ron Silver is great as a defense lawyer with a lot of personality and the way he conducts his… More
  A great true mystery and human drama. This is a film with a very interesting structure, not a simple flashback narrative or a straightforward story, but something original altogether. Ron Silver is great as a defense lawyer with a lot of personality and the way he conducts his investigation is very interesting. The film does not focus on a jury trial but on the appeal process, which is something that isn?t seen on film very often. Jeremy Irons won an Oscar for his portrayal of the accused murderer, and for good reason. Whatever happened to Jeremy Irons? His career has not been good lately. The film is never dry or boring in its procedural, there is a sly wit to the whole film. My only complaint is that I would have liked a more firm focus on Ron Silver, as good as Irons is, the story of what happened to these rich people doesn?t interest me as much as Silver?s investigation.

Read all 10 featured audience ratings