Magruder gets daddy committed. The Mountain Men rip off his kids and head for the woods and pretty soon sharp lawyer has to go to the cops for help. You can now go out and buy tickets, as Cranky isn't going to give any more away. Other players in our fine story include Tom Berenger as Mallory's hateful ex-husband, Daryl Hannah as Magruder's plain Jane associate and Robert Downey Jr. as a sleazy private detective. All have substantial parts in the ensemble as it shifts from thriller to detective yarn and back again.
Problem is, when the film makes that final shift it falls down and goes boom.
Still, it's terrifically refreshing to sit through an original Grisham story which doesn't spend most of its day and night in a courtroom. The standout performance here is not Branagh's accent, which is very good. It is Embeth Davidtz'. It is a great performance. On average, a first run movie ticket will run you Eight Bucks.