A neo-noir set in Boston doesn’t quite manage to captivate. Criminal Law comes from director Martin Campbell, with a script by Mark Kasdan. The cast includes Gary Oldman, Kevin Bacon, Tess Harper, Karen Young and Joe Don Baker. Jerry Goldsmith handled the music, and Philip Meheux was responsible for the cinematography. Ben Chase (Oldman), an attorney practicing in Boston, wins a case defending Martin Thiel (Bacon), who is accused of sexual aggravated murder. Shortly after, Chase begins to suspect that Thiel is guilty and attempts to rectify what he helped bring about. If you’re unfamiliar with legal thrillers or serial killer-themed neo-noir movies, Criminal Law might strike some as passable. However, the genre has been explored extensively, and there are significantly better examples out there! The film feels predictable, and it doesn't fully deliver on its potential to show a character falling apart within a dark, noirish world. Instead, the characters sometimes act in ways that don’t make sense, some feel underdeveloped or simply serve as filler for scenes, and the script seems to buckle under the pressure of nearly two hours. The accents are also noticeably off for the Boston setting, Goldsmith provides one of his weakest scores, and the ending falls flat; it's hard to connect with everything happening. A high-energy sex scene appears, seemingly intended to illustrate Chase’s entanglement in a complex situation, but instead highlights how confused and unstable the story is. The film does have some strengths—the visuals are appealing, with Philip Meheux (known for GoldenEye and Casino Royale) demonstrating stylish touches, particularly in dark underground scenes where shadows create a noir atmosphere of psychological confinement; these moments don’t last long though, and there's a desire for more. The killer’s reasons behind their actions are at least intriguing, introducing an unsettling moral question, and Elizabeth Shepherd as Thiel's mother is exceptionally cold and distant (the film could have used more of her). Overall, it’s a letdown and isn't worth seeking out. 5/10

Source on TMDB