Guilty as Sin

Plot synopsis:
Jennifer Haines (Rebecca De Mornay) is an up-and-coming Chicago attorney. She wins a big case, celebrates with the man in her life, Phil Garson (Stephen Lang), and returns to work to a hero's reception.
Into her life walks David Greenhill (Don Johnson), who was seated in the gallery during her previous trial. Greenhill is a debonair and arrogant ladies' man who stands accused of murdering his wealthy wife, Rita (Brigitte Wilson). He wants Haines to represent him, but she declines.
Something about him intrigues her, though, so the equally arrogant Haines has second thoughts. She tells her law firm's superiors that this promises to be a high-profile trial and she wants it because: "I am that good."
Greenhill maintains his innocence but shows signs of irrational behavior that make Haines wary of him. She assigns her longtime investigator Moe (Jack Warden) to do some digging and he begins to unearth the defendant's shady past. Greenhill in the meantime starts showing up unexpectedly in Haines's social life, stalking her and dropping hints that something is going on between them.
Phil dislikes the guy intensely and demands Haines drop him as a client. She doesn't care for Greenhill either but resents being told what to do. She refuses to quit his case until her law partners notify her that the fee Greenhill promised remains unpaid. An unsympathetic judge (Dana Ivey) tells Haines it's her own fault and refuses to let her abandon her client.
Learning from Moe that Greenhill has a history of dating older women who usually end up dead, a horrified Haines wants to turn him in, but is bound to attorney-client privilege. She instead tries to sabotage her own case by having evidence planted at Greenhill's apartment, hoping that it will lead to his conviction. He knows she must be behind it and takes his revenge by viciously assaulting Phil, who ends up hospitalized.
Greenhill's case ends in a mistrial, after the jury fails to reach a unanimous verdict. Greenhill, seemingly pleased, displays regret that he never had a chance to take the stand. He does so privately for Haines in the empty coutroom, revealing that he had been scouting her far in advance of the murder case. He confesses that he did indeed kill his wife and provides vivid details.
Greenhill further tells Haines that he knows she planted the evidence. He could use this to blackmail her, but says he has come to tire of her. Haines fears the psychopathic Greenhill will now come after her. She prepares to disclose everything, even at the cost of her career.
Greenhill anticipates this. He murders Moe, knocking him out and then setting fire to his office. He then intercepts Haines at her apartment building. He casually states that between Phil's beating and Moe's death, she is grieving enough to commit suicide. A fierce struggle ensues. Greenhill manages to throw Haines over a railing, but to his horror, she pulls him down with her. They fall several stories together. Greenhill is killed in the fall. Haines, cushioned by his body, is severely injured but survives.
As she is carried off to hospital, she triumphantly states: "I beat him, Phil. I beat him. Tough way to win a case."

Tags: neo noir, murder, flashback

Review:
Don Johnson does the stalking of his lawyer, Rebecca De Mornay, and everyone in the film talks and talks.
Sidney Lumet – who also gave us "Twelve Angry Men," "The Verdict" and many other terrific movies – knows how to direct a good courtroom thriller.
Don Johnson glides into De Mornay's office and asks her to take his case, brazenly confessing that he's a womanizer and a gigolo – yet innocent of throwing his wife out of a skyscraper window.
We wanna believe the bad guy, Johnson, who we believe is pretty much guilty from the start, the movie's title, a strong inference, so you really can't call it a thriller.
Johnson has always been an underestimated or underrated actor in my opinion, who never grade of A list, but has given so many good performances.
Despite the movie being a tad dry, with a kind of slow moving story, the latter really doesn't affect the film, thanks to bad guy Johnson and all the effectively tense and truly scary moments he delivers, in his performance, where sinning never looked better..
That was true in this movie with Don Johnson - on one level alone, he was more believable as a fabulously wealthy man who'd been wildly successful on all levels throughout his life - than anyone I've ever seen.Think of say, the great performances of say, Steve McQueen in Thomas Crown Affair, any actor who's played James Bond, any of the wonderful character actors playing wealthy men in movies like My Man Godfrey, The Philadelphia Story, Holiday, The Awful Truth, Meet John Doe, Fifth Avenue Girl, Bachelor Mother, You Can't Take it With You -- and Don Johnson is yet more believable.
I have seen this movie numerous times and it has become one of my favourites.Rebecca DeMornay gives a convincing portrayal of slick Chicago Lawyer Jennifer Haines, who is looking to "feel her oats" as she puts it by taking on the toughest cases she can find.
DeMornay though initially reluctant eventually decides to take on his case and here begins a nerve shredding game of Cat and Mouse that will ultimately end badly for one of them.I really enjoyed the photography and the top drawer performances from the two leads, in particular Don Johnson who totally surprised me in his ability to portray a truly psychotic individual.Stephen Lang's role as DeMornay's boyfriend is small and ultimately inconsequential in the film, Jack Warden's part is also fairly small but he does okay as an investigative aide to DeMornay.
In Chicago, after winning another important case, the prominent lawyer Jennifer "Jenny" Haines (Rebecca De Mornay) is approached by the cynical David Edgar Greenhill (Don Johnson), who is accused of murdering his wife.
Trapped to a criminal, what will Jenny do?"Guilty as Sin" is an absurd courtroom psychological thriller written by Larry Cohen and directed by Sidney Lumet.
Don Johnson has great performance and the music score is also good.
Rebecca de Mornay and Don Johnson made a great double act for this gripping thriller.As usual Rebecca de Mornay put everything she had into her role as Jennifer Haines and she did a grand job avoiding the stereotypical lawyer role.
Pity Johnson didn't establish himself as a major player in Hollywood.Guilty as Sin is a bit slow but it's got a good story and some genuine suspense.
In short, it was certainly a tense thriller that I'd recommend people to see, if only once.It isn't the best film ever (it came from the writer of Maniac Cop 2 & 3) but it was neatly handled (it WAS directed by Sidney Lumet!).Check it out..
Sidney Lumet has directed THE best film of the 80s in 'Running on Empty', and one of the better 70s pics in 'Dog Day Afternoon', so the problem isn't a lack of talent.
Don Johnson on the other hand, is perfect for his role, though he may not be as good of an actor as DeMornay is.'Guilty as Sin' is nothing more than a tedious, connect-the-dots thriller that wastes the talents of everyone involved.
This is a movie with good "bones" (written by Larry Cohen and directed by Sidney Lumet) that for some reason doesn't quite make it.Rebecca DeMornay plays Jennifer Haines, an attorney who notices a man (Don Johnson) while tying up another case.
Greenhill knows all about her life and her boyfriend, and basically uses her as a pawn in his own schemes, all the while intimating that they're lovers and disrupting her relationship.I'm going out on a limb here and guessing that this movie did not have a big budget, and that was part of the problem.
Maybe some women are desperate enough to fall for this guy but anyone who can't see through his act is pathetic.This movie needed a "star", an attractive man who comes off as very likable naturally, without it being put on, even someone going against type like John Travolta or Tom Hanks (this is the '90s, remember) and then it might have been more compelling.
It isn't an easy role - he has to have a threatening subtext, a look in his eyes, something, with everything about him belying it until the claws really come out.De Mornay, on the other hand, definitely conveyed her character's tension, anxiety, and attempt to stay calm, as well as a lot of allure.Jack Warden gives good support as an investigator who helps De Mornay.This is a decent story, with a few things that stretch reality, but like someone said on the board, Johnson is so evil you have to watch the whole thing to see if he gets his comeuppance.
DeMornay as ambitious criminal attorney (she was very good in "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle") wonder what she is filming these days.Anyway, Don Johnson as ladies man who is accused of killing his wife.
There is a cameo with Jack Warden (excellenet veteran actor who was also in Lumet's "And Justice for All" and "The Verdict" with Paul Newman an excellent courtroom drama).Overall we have seen the story before, Johnson as conceited narcissist taunting his attorney...there is a twist at the end.
Rebecca Demornay looks the best in Guilty as Sin (1993).
There is something wrong with this picture and you just keep on asking why as first of all you should expect something great from a veteran like Sidney Lumet (a man who has the needed experience in courtdramas, just think of the splendid "Twelve angry men"), you can't blame Don Johnson who is perhaps one of the most underrated actors ever and Rebecca De Mornay (even if she did nothing groundbreaking ever since, apart from 3identity") does what she need to do : playing a goodlooking advocate...
And yet this movie leaves you with so many questions that you can only conclude that Lumet tried to hard to make his "Fatal attraction" as this is the story from a succesfull lawyer (De Mornay) whose career and life seems to be completely destroyed once her client (Johnson) appeared to be the killer he is accused of and tells her how she has to play the game.
90 minutes long there isn't one second of excitement and even if you never saw the movie before you just know how the plot will be and that's not exactly my idea of a good thriller..
I did not want to watch this as I knew it had got bad reviews but they won the vote so I had to go with them.I also remember leaving the cinema after it ended almost in tears having realised that Sidney Lumet was reduced to directing this garbage.
If I had a mobile phone in those days I would had probably called the Samaritans in the middle of the film.Rebecca De Mornay plays a hot shot, win at all costs criminal defence lawyer who likes to win even for the most unlikeable and presumably guilty clients.Don Johnson is the latest slimy client who wants her to defend him for killing his rich wife.
Johnson is a ladies man with an unsavoury past and De Mornay doubts him and may have put herself in danger.The film is rubbish.
This is one of the best directors not to have won a Directing Oscar and you can never get over the realisation that a great talent is behind this film.This movie is badly written, badly acted, badly made.
Don Johnson is PERFECT for this part, and it is some of his best work, I think, Rebecca DeMornay was also perfect, and it is a really good movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
This movie keep you wondering what is REALLY true, and then, when you find out, it becomes very creepy and tense.I recommend this movie highly, if you like a good psychological thriller, that is not gory or bloody, but really makes you think.
I feel this movie drags somewhat, but it keeps you guessing about Don Johnson's character.The finale is the best part of the movie...though I wont give it away, but if you're into mystery, this should be a good one to view..
Another handsome man, gigolo Don Johnson (as David Edgar Greenhill), is also interested in De Mornay.
Accused of throwing his wealthy wife to her death from a window, Mr. Johnson has decided De Mornay is just the woman to get him off...This slick thriller exemplifies adept direction by Sidney Lumet, photography by Andrzej Bartkowiak and editing by Evan Lottman.
Bad are a couple of plot developments which nonsensically undermine the proceedings.****** Guilty as Sin (6/4/93) Sidney Lumet ~ Rebecca De Mornay, Don Johnson, Jack Warden, Stephen Lang.
Did I love the Sidney Lumet film Guilty as Sin?
Lumet is always making us question the nature of his characters, are they good or evil?
The acting is serviceable, Johnson is good as a woman-killing madman, DiMurray makes the grade as a lawyer that loves the smell of victory.
Real Good Suspense Movie....
I'ts suspenseful and has some good acting in it, I highly recommend it for people who love "scary" movies.
Don Johnson isn't the good guy Tubbs in this one that's for sure....
They both share a powerful determination to be winners and it's this compulsion that leads them both, at different times, to take actions which they know to be ill judged and reckless.Jennifer Haines (Rebecca DeMornay), a young criminal lawyer who's made quick progress to the top of her profession, is on a high after winning her latest court case when she's approached by David Greenhill (Don Johnson).
Greenhill's a suave ladies' man who's been accused of murdering his rich wife by throwing her out of the window of their apartment and he wants Haines to represent him.
At first she doesn't want to take the case but gradually she starts to find him interesting and convinces her superiors that she'd enjoy the challenge of defending Greenhill in what is guaranteed to be a high profile trial.Soon after agreeing to defend her new client, his behaviour becomes more threatening, he starts to get involved in her personal life and also Haines' private investigator, Moe (Jack Warden) begins to uncover some information about Greenhill's past which makes her believe that he is guilty of his wife's murder.
He immediately guesses that she's responsible and responds by taking some equally unscrupulous action to provide some compelling proof of his innocence.After the trial, Haines and Greenhill continue to play their dangerous mind games right up until the movie's violent denouement.At the outset, both Haines and Greenhill are very confident people but during their association, the psychological battles in which they indulge lead to Haines becoming more and more intimidated, especially when she starts to believe that her own life might be in danger.Rebecca DeMornay portrays Jennifer Haines' courtroom swagger and her addiction to the thrill of winning with the same ability she brings to conveying her growing uncertainty and fear as she realises that she's bitten off more than she can chew and is powerless to put things right.Don Johnson clearly revels in his role as the smarmy gigolo who's arrogant and very dangerous.
Jack Warden also provides good support as Haines' trusted old friend and adviser."Guilty As Sin" isn't highly original or the type of movie that garners great accolades from the critics, however, for pure entertainment, it fits the bill nicely..
SPOILERS Through!!I love thrillers so I was able to watch Guilty as Sin and moderately enjoy it while at the same time understanding that it just wasn't a very good movie.
I enjoyed throughly the above mentioned movies and would see any of them again-with Guilty as sin there was just an edge missing.The whole thing was supposed to be a cat and mouse game, a battle of wills between don Johnson and Rebecca De Mornay's character's but it wasn't that fascinating-maybe because neither character was to exciting so how could their relationship really matter to us?The thing that surprised me was De Mornay's character-I loved her in The hand that rocks the cradle, I thought she was chilling!- but here it just doesn't work-and Don Johnson was so evil at the end with that smirk-but the whole thing goes from psychological thriller to slasher movie-not that it was great to begin with but the central theme though the movie-actually themes-as 1 other IMDb reviewer noted were involving-murder and sex-did Johnson do it and would De Mornay have an affair with him-these are nice cheesy thriller themes but the movie just doesn't pull it off-it's at the most only moderately engaging and at the worst slightly dull..
POSSIBLE MILD SPOILER !!!!!As I watched the first half of GUILTY AS SIN I couldn`t believe it was made in 1993 because it played like a JAGGED EDGE / Joe Eszterhas clone from the mid 80s .
" , but halfway through the film shows its early 90s credentials by turning into a " Lawyer gets manipulated and stalked by her client " type film which ends in a ridiculous manner , and GUILTY AS SIN has an even more ridiculous ending in this respect .This is a very poor thriller but the most unforgivable thing about it is that it was directed by Sidney Lumet the same man who brought us the all time classic court room drama 12 ANGRY MEN.
Don Johnson is...guilty of sin.
Stephen Lang, is in the cast as well and he really is one heck of a versatile character actor, Sydney (the Director) should have switched the two actors roles....Johnson's David Greenhill, was a smart-Alec twerp of a womanizer.
Don Johnson really gets to show his stuff impressively playing accused wife murderer David Greenhill.
He is a psychopath BUT he is man-pretty and charming and the women he cons just love him.Rebecca DeMornay is the lawyer who gets conned and then legally forced into defending this indefensible person.
The always interesting Jack Warden is her friend private detective Moe. All of the actors are good at their jobs despite a few major plot holes.
Jennifer Haines is a top-notch defence lawyer who takes on the case of David Greenhill, a lothario accused of murdering his rich wife.
The movie's prime asset is Larry Cohen's excellent script, with lots of snappy dialogue ("You know what the problem with committing perfect murders is - you can't tell anybody."), and oodles of interesting plot twists - Greenhill picks out his defender before perpetrating his crime, Haines deliberately tries to lose her case (what American lawyer would ever do that), Greenhill produces evidence both for and against himself and connecting him to Haines - his ingenuity is boundless.
A fine thriller, well directed by old pro Lumet, which does what any good crime story should do - grab your attention and keep you guessing..
SPOILERS HEREIN!Sidney Lumet, director of "Guilty as Sin" is no stranger to tense thrillers.
For obvious reasons, this isn't a problem in "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" but since her role in "Guilty as Sin" is primarily to look scared while Don does his thing, she doesn't quite pull it off.
In this case, Rebecca De Mornay is a lawyer at a high-end Chicago firm.
She's hired by the narcissistic Don Johnson to defend him when he's accused of tossing his wealthy wife out a fourteen-story window.The odd thing -- almost the ONLY unpredictable feature of the movie -- is that she is wary of him from the beginning.
But part is also Don Johnson, who has never convinced me that he's a good actor, though he's often cast as some masculine type who carries a cloud of pheromones around with him wherever he goes.This is strictly routine suspense, but if that's what you're looking for, the film delivers it..
Don Johnson makes the perfect villain, comparable to Michael Keaton in Pacific Heights, when he plays David Greenhill, a highly wealthy control freak accused of killing his wife.
He hires Jennifer Haines (Rebecca DeMornay), star defense attorney, to take his case.
The story keeps the pace, and it has excellent performances by an excellent cast (Johnson, DeMornay, and Jack Warden) to keep you biting your nails the whole way through.
"Guilty as sin" is the one movie that show what an etraordinary good actor Don Johnson really is.
Furthermore the casting on "Guilty as Sin" is remarkably good.
Guilty as Sin is a true testimony to Rebecca De Mornay and her beauty..
Guilty as Sin is a true testimony to Miss De Mornay and her beauty, with a Don Johnson.
**SPOILERS THROUGHOUT THE REVIEW** High powered attorney Jennifer Haines (Rebecca DeMorany) is seduced by handsome, smooth (and obviously sociopathic) David Greenhill (Don Johnson) into defending him over a charge that he killed his wife.
She gets old friend Moe (Jack Warden is wasted) to help her but David isn't above killing to get his way.It starts off good with great acting by DeMornay and Johnson but the story gets sillier as the movie goes on.