Unlike most other Al Pacino "...and justice for all" seems to have been mostly forgotten in the decades that have passed since it was in theaters. Watching it, I think I know the main reason why it hasn't managed to stay in the consciousness of the general public. The most plausible reason is that the movie doesn't seem to know what tone to follow. Certainly, it's okay for a black comedy to have occasional touches of seriousness. It's also okay for a serious drama to have occasional touches of humor, dark or otherwise. But with this movie, the filmmakers seem to be trying hard to give both seriousness and humor an equal footing. As a result, the movie presents a very weird world where people alternately drift from one extreme to another and then back again. It's often kind of hard to relate to.But while the movie is kind of schizophrenic in tone, it does have some strengths that probably make it worth a look. The strange tone does get you to a degree curious to see what unusual move the movie will make next. There are individual vignettes that do deliver some power, and will stick with you long after the movie is over. Pacino delivers another solid performance; in fact, all the performances in the movie are good. And along the way, the movie does manage to make some biting commentary on the justice system that is still relevant today, showing that justice is NOT for all participants in the system. If you are willing to put up with a very uneven tone, the movie will probably keep you interested and entertained for two hours. As I said, it's certainly never dull.

Defense attorney Arthur Kirkland (Al Pacino) gets out of jail for taking a swing at insanely tough Judge Henry Fleming (John Forsythe) for railroading his client Jeff McCullaugh. McCullaugh is imprisoned after exonerating evidence comes in 3 days after a deadline. Fellow defense lawyer Jay Porter (Jeffrey Tambor) is a friend. Gun-toting judge Francis Rayford (Jack Warden) is friendly and very eccentric. His grandpa Sam (Lee Strasberg) in a nursing home has dementia. He starts dating Gail Packer (Christine Lahti) who is on the committee investigating him. Judge Fleming is arrested for rape and he calls on Kirkland to defend him.While I like the sense of chaos in the legal and penal systems in my movies, a judge shooting into the ceiling is going over the line especially if everybody just shrugs it off. There are a couple of points about the law that don't ring true. The acting is superb led by Al Pacino. Jack Warden is excellent. Director Norman Jewison is able to create a nice sense of a broken system.

I loved this in 1979. It was a good evening's entertainment. Lots of fun. Pacino was in his element. We all cheered him. The good guys won. The bad guys and the corruption they represented took it on the nose. I would have given it a '10' back then.The thing is, it ain't 'back then' anymore. And boy does this movie show its age. I know it's heresy to say but entertainment gets dated. This one hasn't aged well. It's none too subtle. As one of the IMDb reviews I just read said, less would be more. Charlie Chaplin was hilarious in 1925. He ain't that funny today. This was a bravura performance back in '79. In fact, several of them were. The writing seemed crisp. It felt almost embarrassing today. The "5" is for how much I enjoyed this 30+ years ago. It wasn't there for me anymore. I can only imagine how this film would look to a young audience today.

Real old fashioned lawyer drama but with a human aspect in it. It's not all in the courtroom though, most is actually out of it. There are a number of stories running together but that's the life of a lawyer really all about. Al Pacino is his usual best again, the roll is really the type of character he excels in. Most other characters are fine too but it's all about Pacino of course. Very watchable movie, it continuously moves forward and changes. The actual main story is almost a side line in the story but it comes to a end with a big bang. Although the bang is big the outcome is a bit unexpected and in a way I think the movie is not completely finished. Watch it for sure though (and ignore the cheesy 70's music).