True Believer

Directed by Joseph Ruben, True Believer follows a cynical lawyer (James Woods’ Eddie Dodd) as he and his idealistic assistant (Robert Downey Jr’s Roger Baron) attempt to free an innocent man (Yuji Okumoto’s Shu Kai Kim) from prison. Filmmaker Ruben, armed with Wesley Strick’s screenplay, delivers a fairly standard legal procedural that’s elevated by its raft of agreeable, engaging attributes, as the movie boasts, for example, stirring (and often electrifying) performances that ultimately go a long way towards smoothing over the narrative’s less-than-engrossing elements – with, in particular, Woods’ perpetually intense turn as the commanding protagonist standing as an ongoing highlight within the proceedings. And although the movie admittedly does contain its share of lulls, particularly as it delves deeper and deeper into Eddie and Roger’s investigation, True Believer, anchored by John W. Lindley’s stylish visuals and Brad Fiedel’s memorable score, primarily comes off as a compelling drama that benefits from its satisfying finale and smattering of unexpectedly enthralling sequences (including a terrific confrontation between Eddie and his legal nemesis, Kurtwood Smith’s deliciously smarmy Robert Reynard).

*** out of ****