Legal Eagles (1986)

Director:

Ivan Reitman

Writers:

Ivan Reitman (story) &
Jim Cash (story) ...

Release Date:

18 June 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Romance

Tagline:

Tom Logan has a law partner who put a dog on the witness stand. A client who can't enter a room without a crime being committed. And a case that could turn out to be the murder of the year. His.

Plot:

District Attorney Tom Logan is set for higher office, at least until he becomes involved with defence...

Plot Keywords:

Lawyer | Painting | City | Scam | Insurance

Awards:

1 win

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Robert Redford	...	Tom Logan
Debra Winger	...	Laura Kelly
Daryl Hannah	...	Chelsea Deardon
Brian Dennehy	...	Cavanaugh
Terence Stamp	...	Victor Taft
Steven Hill	...	Bower
David Clennon	...	Blanchard
John McMartin	...	Forrester
Jennifer Dundas	...	Jennifer Logan (as Jennie Dundas)
Roscoe Lee Browne	...	Judge Dawkins
Christine Baranski	...	Carol Freeman
Sara Botsford	...	Barbara
David Hart	...	Marchek
James Hurdle	...	Sebastian Dearden
Gary Howard Klar	...	Hit Man (as Gary Klar)

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Canada:14A | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Norway:15 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The script for this movie started out as a documentary on the battle over the estate of artist Mark Rothko.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The action of the movie appears to take place during a winter-like season (lots of rain and occasional snowflakes) yet a shot of the Empire State building has the lighting at the top in red, white and blue, coloring usually used around the Fourth of July or other non-Winter holidays.

Quotes:

Tom Logan: Ladies and gentlemen, Chelsea Deardon didn't kill Victor Taft. The prosecution has suggested a possible motive, but one based on hearsay, conjecture and circumstantial evidence. Evidence that appears to have some substance, but upon closer examination, will prove to have no relevance whatsoever to this case.
[stops and looks at the jury]
Tom Logan: You're not buying this, are you? You're not listening to a word I'm saying. Yeah? Guess what? I don't blame you. After listening to Mr. Blanchard lay out the prosecution's evidence, even I'M convinced my client murdered Victor Taft.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Features Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Soundtrack:

Magic Carpet Ride

Cast has fun with nonsensical plot

As rival attorneys in New York City, Robert Redford and Debra Winger aren't exactly Tracy and Hepburn (he's too wishy-washy and callow, she's too flaky), but they do get to loosen up a bit from prior roles, creating an amusing give-and-take relationship while defending performance artist Daryl Hannah (another flake) on murder charges. Plot is so haphazardly constructed that it was re-worked for the TV version and still nobody could figure it out. Redford and Winger get out of a bomb-laden warehouse just in the nick of time, but how they do it will have smart viewers crying foul. There are other problems, not to mention a strange, off-putting show put on by Hannah where she appears to go up in flames, but the charisma of the players is just enough to carry this heavy vehicle to a happy conclusion. The outtakes at the finale are charming, as is Rod Stewart's song "Love Touch". **1/2 from ****