THE INCIDENT (1990)
Rated PG - Rotten Tomatoes freshness score -- %, Popcornmeter 71%, IMDB rating 7.2/10
Synopsis:
Harmon Cobb is an unassuming lawyer with no ambitions who lives in a small town in Colorado during WWII. When the beloved town doctor is found beaten to death at the nearby German POW camp, no one is sure what to do. Then a US District Court judge sets up an office there and he pressures Cobb into defending the German prisoner who is accused of the crime. This is particularly difficult for Cobb to do because his son in the army fighting the Germans in Europe. At first Cobb's main goal is to avoid looking like a fool in court, and then he starts listening to his client, and things may not be as they appear out at the POW camp.
Thoughts:
This movie has genuinely surprising twists and turns I wasn't expecting. I first saw this movie in the 1990s on broadcast TV, and I've enjoyed it every time I've seen it since, finally finding a DVD copy a few years ago. The biggest surprise for me was Walter Matthau. I've seen him in several things over the years, but I have frankly not enjoyed his roles...until now! His role as Harmon Cobb is fantastic. He comes across as humble, genuine, likable, and approachable, an every man...unlike most of his other roles.
Though this is a low budget TV movie, it plays LARGE! The courtroom scenes are especially strong.
The Incident was a two-time Primetime Emmy winner.
Highly recommended, though it's generally extremely difficult to find. As of this writing, it's available with an Amazon Prime membership.
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