Perry Mason: The Case of the Maligned Mobster (1991) (TV)

Director:

Ron Satlof

Writers:

Sean Cholodenko (written by)
Erle Stanley Gardner (characters)

Release Date:

11 February 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

A gangster who has commited all kinds of crimes is accused to have killed his wife. As he was not the...

Plot Keywords:

Courtroom | Detective | Perry Mason | Sequel | Character Name In Title

Cast

Raymond Burr	...	Perry Mason
Barbara Hale	...	Della Street
William R. Moses	...	Ken Malansky
Mason Adams	...	Frank Halloran
Michael Nader	...	Johnny Sorrento
Anne Schedeen	...	Paula Barrett
Pamela Bowen	...	Joanna Calder
Betsy Jones-Moreland	...	Judge Elinor Harrelson
Sean Kanan	...	Jeff Sorrento
Mitzi Kapture	...	Janice Kirk
Beverly Leech	...	Karen Thatcher
Howard McGillin	...	Mike Calder
Richard Portnow	...	Dave Barrett
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	Sergeant Phil Baranski
Gwynyth Walsh	...	Maria Sorrento

Also Known As:

The Case of the Maligned Mobster

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

Dean Hargrove Productions

Movie Connections:

Follows Perry Mason Returns (1985) (TV)

Sub-par Mason movie

Ken Malansky has an old college acquaintance who has gone into business with reformed mobster Johnny Sorrento. When Sorrento's wife is killed all fingers point to Johnny and Mason is asked to take up the case – reasoning that everyone deserves the best defence, Mason takes the case. Mason finds the world of the mob is one of murder and threats, while Malansky investigates an old murder case that Johnny had been accused of until someone confessed.

These Mason movies are all pretty much the same – innocent client who all the clues point to. Ken investigates the rough stuff while Mason questions each suspect. It all leads to courtroom questions and the twist at the end. As a result if you like one you generally like them all. However here the film tries to be a bit rougher and have a darker edge by having a mobster as a client. Mason naturally takes the case but we never see any conflict in his heart over doing this. Also the tougher edge is only added to the normal formula as a very thin top coat – for example Mason occasionally raises his voice a little, or a few people get shot or killed etc. Really it didn't work that well as it didn't add to the formula, only took a little away instead.

Burr isn't as good as usual because he has this tough edge on a familiar character and it doesn't sit well – witness him in a sling as if nothing happened! Hale has less to do than usual but Moses is actually pretty good with the darker subject matter. The rest of the cast are really nothing more than mobster support roles from bad mobster films – they don't even reach the level of caricature! The usual `oh, look it's…..' face this time is Stephen Tobolowsky.

The courtroom looks more like a TV set than usual and the actual courtroom finale is a bit of a letdown and doesn't even manage the usual average tension. The end result is a standard Mason setup that is spoil by little extras that the formula didn't need – the darker edge didn't work. Overall a sub-par outing in the series that plays slightly above par.