A fairly good story...about a young man facing the death penalty for a murder he says he didn't commit."You have NO memory, NO alibi, and NO explanation..." says his defense lawyer.The defense lawyer (Matthew Modine) lost his wife and two sons in a car accident a few years before...Movie opens on him...in his empty home...he's ready to pull the trigger and kill himself. Till the phone rings...and he's assigned this murder case.The prosecutor is an older, experienced man who has previously beaten the defense lawyer...Prosecutor rigorously pursues the death penalty. I do agree with one reviewer above...At some point, the dramatic tension DROPS because you learn too early...who the real villain is... and that the real villain will be exposed. Is a moderately entertaining TV movie...and does bring up the fact that not only Rohipnol (the date rape drug) but a similar drug...can be used to knock a woman...or a man...out! (The date rape scenario is handled with minimum detail and no scenes in the movie show the crime. Suitable for grade school and above aged children.)

I'm giving a review just to enlighten myself of the torture of having watched it. Contrary to the name and use of courthouse terms, the movie has nothing to do with a trial. I am not convinced if there even was a case in the first place. No context whatsoever. There is no weapon,no motive, no fingerprints nothing. There is/was no evidence for the conviction/non-conviction of the accused and yet the jury comes up with a verdict.There are a lot of unanswered questions in the movie and vice versa. Please do something else that would be productive with your time.

If one sees The Trial on DVD or on a television broadcast, hasten to assure yourselves you will not be seeing the Orson Welles film The Trial or a remake thereof. If you see it stars Matthew Modine than make sure you catch it.The film opens with Modine who has been unable to come to grips with the death of his wife and children ready to blow the top of his head off with a revolver. As he's ready to do the deed, a phone call comes.It's from Judge Rance Howard who wants to get Modine back in the among the living and in the practice of his profession. He appoints him the defense attorney of young Randy Wayne who is accused of the murder of his sweetheart, the daughter of a prominent family in the area. He plied her with 'roofies' to loosen her inhibitions and he's taken them himself. When he came down he finds himself with her dead body and no memory of the crime at all.He gets all his courtroom skills back, it's like riding a bicycle, once learned it all comes back. But this is a tough case and he needs the assistance of psychologist Claire Carey, research assistant Nikki Deloach and most of all Robert Forster his late wife's brother for some heavy muscle and a bit of detective work. The answer is quite a bit more involved than a case of 'roofies' gone bad.Modine who also produced this gives a carefully delineated performance of a lawyer being brought back to life in his profession and every day living. In the end he has reason to thank the Deity for being spared in the tragedy that overtook his family.The Trial has the look and feel of a television pilot and I'm sure Matthew Modine is trying to sell it to one of the networks. I do hope he succeeds.

Yet another courtroom drama. The problem with these kind of films is "how do you wrap it up", and The Trial doesn't escape from the same lame ending as many more films before it.interesting up to a point, the first half of the film qualifies as a "very good, for-TV show", but thats about it. the current 5.8 IMDb vote pretty much sums it up, add the fact that the film itself is not really interesting, and you know you can do better with 90 minutes of your time.A retiring lawyer whose son just died takes on the defense of a very unlikely young ex-marine, who is obviously being framed for the murder of his fiancée. The only two actors worth mentioning, the two lawyers, go trough the case until the verdict; Then, a rapid - and very unwelcome - change of pace leads to the fast and amateurish end of the film.The Trial is the very essence of a film that can be missed - it has no redeeming qualities, and although not horrible per se, there is absolutely nothing to keep you interested. Not the kind of rubbish that makes you change the channel, but certainly not something you might want to rent or buy.4/10decent but uninvolved acting, recycled script with no conclusion, boring music, and so-so production. Avoid.