Citizen Verdict

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22%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 394

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Movie Info

Justice is turned into a game show, with life and death as the stakes, in this satirical drama. Florida governor Bull Tyler (Roy Scheider) is trying to ease the dissatisfaction of his constituents in the midst of a major crime wave by getting tough on wrongdoers, and television producer Marty Rockman (Jerry Springer) has offered him a high-profile way to do just that. Rockman, best known for his splashy reality programs, has come up with an idea for a new show -- "Citizen Verdict," in which an alleged murderer is tried in three hours on broadcast television, with the viewers voting on the guilt or innocence of the accused. If 75 percent or more of those who call in vote to convict, the defendant will be executed as part of a pay-per-view special to follow. Tyler thinks the show could be a good publicity stunt and gives his OK, with Ricky Carr (Raffaello Degruttola), accused of murdering the host of a popular cooking show, given the honor of starring in the first episode. Carr is being defended by Sam Patterson (Armand Assante), a once-respected civil rights lawyer fallen on hard times, while prosecutor Jessica Landers (Justine Mitchell) represents the state. Citizen Verdict was the first directorial project from producer Philippe Martinez.

Rating:

R (for language, sexual content and violence.)
Genre:

Drama, Television
Directed By:

Philippe Martinez
Written By:

Tony [wr] Clarke, Kristina Hamilton, Philippe Martinez, Frank Rehwaldt
In Theaters:

May 6, 2005 wide
On Disc/Streaming:

Nov 8, 2005
Runtime:

97 minutes
Studio:

Innovation Film Group

Cast

Armand Assante
as Sam Patterson

Jerry Springer
as Marty Rockman

Roy Scheider
as Bull Tyler

Raffaello Degruttola
as Ricky Carr

Dorette Potgieter
as Carlene Osway

Justine Mitchell
as Jessica Landers

Gideon Emery
as Larry Grimes

Adrian Galley
as Dobey

Langley Kirkwood
as Vince Turner

Brendan Pollecutt
as Bob White

View All

Critic Reviews for Citizen Verdict

All Critics (5) | Top Critics (2) | Fresh (1) | Rotten (4)

Cheap and flashy, and made with a kind of pulpy B-movie zest, Citizen Verdict pushes all the expected buttons.

Oct 16, 2003 | Full Review…

Neil Norman
London Evening Standard
Top Critic
Scenes seem slapped together and mismatched, performances vary from tight and sardonic to mopey and melodramatic.

Oct 16, 2003 | Rating: 2.5/5 | Full Review…

Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall