Interesting, and ultimately quite gripping, drama.A young lawyer, Tony Lawrence (played by Paul Newman), embarks on a successful legal career in Philadelphia. He steadily climbs the social and corporate ladder, though with much personal baggage and bitterness.It's the last few scenes of this movie that make it so good. It was fine, but not fantastic, before. We see Paul Newman's character's trials, tribulations and success. It is interesting, but not overly engaging. However, the engagement factor is ratcheted up several notches toward the end, when he defends his friend in court. The story changes from a fairly standard drama to a very intriguing courtroom drama.Solid work by Paul Newman in the lead role. Good support from Robert Vaughn, Barbara Rush, Brian Keith and a host of others. Vaughn got a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his efforts, the only Oscar nomination in his career.

This unbelievable (but no less enjoyable) legal soap opera comes complete with dark family secrets, coincidental encounters, tragic misunderstandings, and a courtroom finish Hitchcock might have loved, in which the fate of a man perhaps wrongly charged with murder waits to be decided by a butler's sense of smell. Paul Newman stars as a young lawyer rising through Philadelphia society using his wits, his charm, and a few unscrupulous tactics never taught in law school, and Barbara Rush is the hot-and-cold love interest. But Robert Vaughn steals the film playing an unfortunate friend who, in less than two hours of screen time, descends from an amiable barfly to a crippled war veteran to a skid row derelict facing the electric chair.

Awfully corny melodrama adapted from Richard Powell's book has Paul Newman turning from crafty tax-attorney into hot-shot trial lawyer, defending buddy Robert Vaughn on a murder rap. It's rather incredible this passed muster in 1959--it looks like an episode from TV's "Playhouse 90", what with cheap sets, ugly designs and a stilted direction from veteran Vincent Sherman. Terrific players (including Barbara Rush, Diane Brewster and, in a disappointingly brief role, Brian Keith) help compensate for the dreariness, though some of the dialogue has a little snap. Best performance is turned in by a cunning Alexis Smith, doing solid work as a tycoon's wife who has her eyes set on Paul. ** from ****

Pretty boring unless you consider Barbara Rush electrifying. Paul Newman is clearly at sea in this hokey soap opera directed in very old-school style by old-school director Vincent Sherman. Newman gives what is perhaps his most self-conscious performance. His reaction to soon-to-be father-in-law John Williams' plea to bide his time before marrying daughter Rush is embarrassing...it's difficult to believe that Newman is not joking...but he's not. He's just acting badly. This movie is like PEYTON PLACE minus the colorful cast and camp appeal. In addition to Newman, Rush and Williams, the cast includes Robert Vaughn, Billie Burke(!), classy Alexis Smith, Brian Keith (woefully mis-cast as Newman's father!), and, in a brief role, Adam West. Oddly, it has a pretty terrific music score by Ernest Gold!