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6.5/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.5/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Lawyer Man remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like old movies where people talk at 100 miles per hour and wear hats indoors, you’ll probably have a blast. If you need your legal dramas to make perfect sense or care about realistic courtroom procedure, maybe skip this one. It’s definitely not for anyone who gets annoyed by plot holes that you could drive a Model T through.
William Powell is basically doing his usual slick-lawyer routine, and honestly? He’s great at it. He carries this entire thing on his shoulders like he’s carrying a bag of groceries. There’s a moment in the first act where he’s just crushing a rival in court, and the camera lingers on his face just a second too long. It’s not graceful, but it’s very human.
The whole thing feels like a fever dream of 1930s New York grit. People are constantly walking into offices, yelling about racketeers, and then walking back out. It’s got that weird, choppy energy I usually associate with films like The Patent Leather Pug or maybe a frantic episode of Kids and Skids.
The plot turns into a giant soup once the racketeers show up. It’s like the writers decided half-way through that the legal drama wasn't enough, so they threw in a fake lawsuit and a femme fatale just to see what would stick. It doesn't all work. Actually, a lot of it doesn't work at all.
There’s a specific scene where someone is framed, and it happens so fast I had to rewind it twice to understand why anyone was even upset. It’s hilarious in a 'did that really just happen?' kind of way. It’s not deep, it’s not life-changing, but it’s got a pulse.
The movie doesn't try to be a meditation on morality or justice. It just wants to get you to the finish line before the popcorn runs out. Sometimes, that’s all you need on a Tuesday night. It feels a bit like watching a frantic game of Fly Hi where everyone is running in the wrong direction.
I left the movie feeling like I’d just had three cups of coffee. It’s not great art, but it’s genuinely entertaining in its own clunky, dated way. Maybe it’s not as polished as the big prestige stuff, but who cares? It’s got spirit. And sometimes that’s enough. ⚖️
IMDb —
1930
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