The courtroom scenes in this curiously un-involving Friedkin flick seem muted or rushed. Perhaps a mini-series format would have covered the ground more expeditiously.
The changes made to William P.Wood's novel must have had the poor man frothing all over his copy of 'Guns And Ammo'. Bill's version was a heartfelt if almost rabidly right wing polemic in favour of not letting liberals and wooly headed psychiatrists get in the way of the death penalty. He makes a reasonable case against spurious claims of diminished responsibility but comes a cropper in a ludicrous scene whereby the DA enters the jail to kill the murderer rather than see him get off. After invoking the spectre of the Nazis so often throughout the courtroom arguments, this 'means justify the end' solution seems almost wilfully hypocritical by the author.
Friedkin throws out the entire point of the book, however misguided, by opting for a more ambiguous approach. At first dismissive of the possibility that the murderer is mentally ill, a brain scan subsequently makes the DA more undecided. He does not end up judge, jury and executioner. For some reason this makes the film less compelling than the book and the undistinguished nature of the film making suggests a troubled production. Either way, it eventually achieved less visibility than the average gnat so I doubt if Mr Wood is losing much sleep over the matter.
The changes made to William P.Wood's novel must have had the poor man frothing all over his copy of 'Guns And Ammo'. Bill's version was a heartfelt if almost rabidly right wing polemic in favour of not letting liberals and wooly headed psychiatrists get in the way of the death penalty. He makes a reasonable case against spurious claims of diminished responsibility but comes a cropper in a ludicrous scene whereby the DA enters the jail to kill the murderer rather than see him get off. After invoking the spectre of the Nazis so often throughout the courtroom arguments, this 'means justify the end' solution seems almost wilfully hypocritical by the author.
Friedkin throws out the entire point of the book, however misguided, by opting for a more ambiguous approach. At first dismissive of the possibility that the murderer is mentally ill, a brain scan subsequently makes the DA more undecided. He does not end up judge, jury and executioner. For some reason this makes the film less compelling than the book and the undistinguished nature of the film making suggests a troubled production. Either way, it eventually achieved less visibility than the average gnat so I doubt if Mr Wood is losing much sleep over the matter.