From The Hip

An almost excessively erratic legal drama, From The Hip follows hotshot (yet green) attorney Robin Weathers (Judd Nelson) as he’s assigned a seemingly unwinnable case by his irate bosses – with the film detailing Weathers’ efforts at proving the innocence of a seriously sinister defendant (John Hurt’s Douglas Benoit). It’s perhaps not surprising to note that From The Hip fares best in its courtroom sequences, as such moments have been infused with a decidedly lurid sensibility that proves impossible to resist (eg there’s a fantastically entertaining sequence in which Weathers debates with opposing counsel and the judge over his use of the word “asshole.”) It’s equally clear, however, that the film flounders in its non-legal interludes, as scripters David E. Kelley and Bob Clark are generally unable to elevate From The Hip‘s character and story-based elements above the level of a garden-variety soap opera. (Elizabeth Perkins, cast as Weathers’ wife, is given exceedingly little to do, for example.) And although the movie hits a significant lull in its midsection, From The Hip bounces back with the introduction of Hurt’s irresistibly sociopathic figure – with the narrative building to an almost impressively over-the-top showdown between Weathers and Benoit (ie it’s just so unabashedly salacious and tawdry). The end result is a watchable effort that feels like a template for Kelley’s subsequent small-screen endeavors (eg Picket Fences‘ Ray Walston even shows up as a cranky judge!), and yet there’s certainly a good reason that the movie has essentially been forgotten in the years since its 1987 release.

**1/2 out of ****