Movie Review On Anatomy Of Murder

This movie revolves around a murder case where one Fredrick Manion is charged with a first degree murder. He confesses and agrees he committed the crime but he defends himself claiming he did so because he had suffered from mental break down because the victim had raped his wife. His lawyer Paul Brigler who comes from upper peninsula in Michigan likes to spend his time fishing, playing piano, and hanging out with his friends who over drinks. His lawyer is also a former attorney who lost his bid for re-election. The lawyer one day received a call from the wife of the United States of America lieutenant, Laura Manion, claiming her husband had been arrested and she needs the services of the attorney to help him get out of prison. The attorney starts to prepare the case and since he is aware that with even the defence that his client suffered a mental break down, it will not be easy to help him out. He goes to the point of forcing his client to say he lost his memory and cannot remember anything that transpired. As he sets about preparing his case, Biegler catches Laura Manion flirting with other army officers during a roadhouse party. He has to order her to stay away from "men, juke joints, booze, and pinball machines" and wear a girdle in order to play the part of a "meek little housewife" rather than that of a happy-go-lucky party girl. She also agrees to give up her tight-fitting clothes and wears a formal dress, glasses, a hat and a woman's suit in court. He hopes this will help in securing his client out of prison since the wife also plays a key role in determining the outcome of the case trial.
This attorney is well versed with good oratory skills that keep the court session and the judges on their toes in the process of determining the outcome of the process. He displays commendable knowledge and brain of a legal expert throughout these court proceedings. He defends his client well however this does not go well for the defence side since the battle is between two great legal minds. The local DA known as Brook West gets assistance from the high and powerful city prosecutor, Dancer. He works with the local DA and blocks the mention of the motive behind the murder throughout the proceedings. His cross-examination of Laura uncovers certain realities that does not work out for the defence and makes their defence weaker than before the cross-examination. It reveals that Laura displayed dissatisfaction in her marriage with the lieutenant and often flirted with men. It reveals that she is not that well reserve homemaker, she frequents drinking joint such as clubs and bars and openly flirt with men.
Even the results from the doctor who examined her cause doubts whether she was actually raped or her case is staged. The defence team questions the methods used by the doctor to obtain the results he tabled at the court. The case gets tougher for the defence when it is revealed that even the lieutenant doubted his wife`s loyalty during the marriage. Manion doubted his wife, as Laura, a Catholic, had to swear on a rosary to persuade her husband that the sex with Quill was indeed non-consensual.
Mary does actually attend the final day of the trial when the issue is raised about the panties that Laura was wearing on the night of the murder. These panties were never found at the spot she claims the rape took place. Mary, who was unaware of this, later returns to testify that she found the panties in the inn's laundry room, presuming that Quill dropped them down the laundry chute when he returned home this does not work for her defence. Dancer insistently quizzes her that she is lying, that Quill was her lover and that she is trying to get Manion off the hook out of jealousy of Quill having a relationship with another woman. Mary shocks the court and torpedoes Dancer by stating that Quill was her father.
The witnesses in this case did not help in influencing the final court decision since with the revelations uncovered from the wife of the lieutenants, the ruling should have been in favour of the prosecutor. The analysis and the decision made by the judges is biased in this case.
The defence side finally won the case as the lieutenant is freed on the insanity grounds. The judges found him not guilty of the murder charges citing the insanity grounds. Even the high and powerful attorney applauded the lieutenant’s defence team on a job done well he salutes the attorney. He claims that in his entire legal carrier, this defence team displayed the best defence ever in a court of law. After the case ended and the lieutenant freed, he fled without paying the legal fee to the services offered to him.