It needed to be three hours long

Rating: 8/10 (27 February 2000)

Before I go into detail of the one fault this film has, let me say that this movie is a powerful experience, one the everyone should undertake.
The acting by the entire cast is incredible. Denzel Washington gives his second best performance (after his stirring turn in Malcolm X). He commands the screen throughout the film. Rod Steiger also has a memorable cameo at the end as the judge.
The film's flaw is it's length. Because the studio wouldn't release a film over two and a half hours, the first hour tries to pack in so much information that it lacks cohesion. However, once the second hour starts, its a roller coaster ride of emotions until the very powerful finish.