Dir.
Philippe Martinez, UK/Germany, 2003, 97 mins
Cast: Armand Assante, Jerry Springer, Roy Scheider, Justine Mitchell, Raffaello Degruttola, Dorette Potgieter
In a bid to up his profile on crime prevention in preparation for the presidential elections, Florida's Republican Governor Tyler (Roy Scheider) gives his seal of approval to a new reality TV show. This is the 'go-ahead' infamous producer Marty Rockman (Jerry Springer) has been waiting for - the chance to reveal his new concept - CITIZEN VERDICT - to the nation. Every week a trial will be televised and the viewing public will act as jury by taking part in a phone vote to decide the defendant's guilt or innocence. Not only will the public get to choose the case to be tried from a selection of particularly nasty and salacious crimes, but if a guilty verdict is reached in a murder case, they can watch the execution on pay-for-view. As the show goes into production, Rockman approaches lawyer Sam Patterson (Armand Assante) to act for the defence. Persuaded by Rockman, and the enormous financial incentive he offers, Patterson agrees to participate. But it isn't long before Patterson begins to have serious doubts about the kind of justice Citizen Verdict will deliver.
Philippe Martinez' Citizen Verdict takes the current reality TV trend to it's logical conclusion. The opening has some promise, with Jerry Springer's audacious performance as Rockman, and promotional clips for the show. The viewing public's obsession with violence and celebrity is well conveyed by the selection of Ricky Carr, accused of the rape and murder of celebrity-chef Dolly Hamilton, as the shows first defendant. But as the film moves on there is a sense that Martinez is torn between making a satirical comment, and a thriller - and in the end he succeeds at neither. Martinez wrings very few laughs from his potentially winning premise, and the film's frequent vox pop sections - in which viewers discuss the programme - also add very little interest.
Another flaw is the character of Patterson - the liberal lawyer who agrees (far too readily) to act for the defence. His disillusionment when he discovers that the TV trial format is open to corruption is totally unconvincing. This revelation is certainly no surprise to the audience, so it is difficult to believe that an experienced lawyer would be so naive. The unfortunate casting of Armand Assante further magnifies the weakness of the film's central character.
Similarly the film falls down when it's focus moves from the Citizen Verdict concept to the actions and personality of its creator, Marty Rockman. This move allows Springer to strut about and shout maniacally - not so much acting as the evil alter ego of his well-known TV persona. But in focusing on Rockman and the vulnerability of the show to individual corruption, Martinez glosses over the more interesting issues of exploitation, voyeurism and cruelty, initially raised by his film.
Elizabeth Griffin
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