Citizen Verdict

Courtroom TV takes a quantum leap: several million Floridians get their fingers on the innocent/guilty buttons after a three-hour show(biz) trial of the alleged rapist and killer of a celebrity chef; and grant themselves the chance to watch the execution for $19.99 on pay-per-view. Giving this opportunity for death by ballot to the state that may or may not have voted in George Dubya is an unholy alliance: a tough-on-crime governor (Scheider), and all-round reality-media shit Marty Rockman (Springer). Formatted in, as a hands-tied defence lawyer with a streak of respect for the judicial niceties, is Sam Patterson (Assante). Even before the flags start waving in celebration of the triumph of US justice, there's a sense that derision is probably as legitimate a response to Citizen Verdict the movie as it is to Citizen Verdict the TV show. Much of this addled satire/thriller/message movie is energetically declamatory, punchily OTT, economically witty. If it didn't so often shoot itself in the foot, it'd surely zip on to a few year-end guilty-pleasures lists.