User reviews

"Mistrial" tells of a highly improbably story of a cop caught in the jaws of an imperfect system who goes over the edge and holds a courtroom hostage. Good work by Pullman can't save a mediocre screenplay and ludicrous lagging story with some good acting talent in scripted mannequin roles. Very ordinary low budget made-for-tv yawner.

Mistrial (1996) is a courtroom drama executive produced by Renny Harlin and it was very mediocre.

Positives for Mistrial (1996): Bill Pullman as Steve Donohue and Jon Seda as Eddie Rios are very good in their roles. The supporting cast does good with their roles. The movie looks nice and is shot competently. And finally, there are some good emotional moments throughout the movie.

Negatives for Mistrial (1996): This movie was very boring with its pacing. The movie is very forgettable and I had to rewind certain moments during my viewing experience and I'm still having a hard time remembering stuff. The story and the direction was very predictable from the beginning. And finally, the movie's ending was very confusing.

Overall, Mistrial (1996) is a bit of a misfire for me and while there are things I liked, there were also things that I disliked.

Pullman does not make a convincing cop; sorry. He is the Leslie Neilson of the 21st century; he belongs in satire and comedy. After a while, Neilson stopped playing dramatic roles and did strictly comedy; Pullman should do the same. The story is a lower case version of The Negotiator, a much better film, starring Samuel Jackson, and with a much bigger budget. This wasn't horrible, but Pullman is no Jackson, and there was not nearly the tension of Negotiator. The supporting cast is not too bad; Loggia does a good job, but it is not enough to save this made for TV film.

An interesting film that at first glance seems like just another crime story, but is actually much more complex than that.

It shows us how a man can break under the burden of injustice and hypocrisy.

In the story, we follow Detective Steve Donohue who tries to find the killer, and after he arrests a suspect to whom all the evidence points, but under the pressure of the media, the perpetrator could get away. The story well illustrates what can happen when the rule of law is abandoned and the rule of the mob prevails.

We see how it is possible to persuade and manipulate people to believe something that is not true, and injustice is sometimes so great that people simply break down and take the law into their own hands.

The media is often not interested in facts, but in sensationalism, and this is a very good example of that. The film is well directed and the acting is excellent.

Bill Pullman has excellently portrayed a character who definitely has flaws, but beneath that is someone who just wants people to know the truth. Although his actions are wrong, they unfortunately make sense. This is what makes this film so interesting and complex.

An interesting and complex film that is definitely worth watching.

Bill Pullman (Independence Day, While You Were Sleeping) stars as a police officer who takes over the courtroom where an accused cop-killer is going to be let free because the evidence he collected is in-admissable. Jon Seda (Selena, Sunchaser) plays the accused cop-killer. The film gains most of its strength from the two main performances, especially Pullman's. Always a likeable actor, Pullman creates a flawed character who is in way over his head. Seda gives a very good performance also. Highly recommended.

I watched this when it aired on HBO and told everyone I knew to watch it for themselves. I don't normally recommend a movie or TV show unless I am really blown away. Today I was talking about Bill Pullman and found myself chatting about this flick as one of my most memorable and favorite films. My friend wanted the name after my review but I couldn't remember. I knew IMDb would list all film appearances. I read the three reviews and absolutely disagreed with one of them, so; I thought I'd add my take on it. This movie had me talking and sometimes yelling at the TV. This is a gripping tale that will give you much food for thought about our legal system. Great acting, good script and as on point in 2014 as it was when it first aired. I say watch it.

In my opinion after watching 'Mistrial', this is a very underrated film (its current rating of 5.6 as of 18/11/2024 is almost criminal) with a great and very unconventional ending in which the 'victor', for lack of a better word, is not the one you expect. Only some questionable production values detract from an otherwise fantastic experience.

This film also offers an insightful and realistic portrayal of the limitations of the justice system, such as when evidence was withheld in court for dubious reasons which sometimes boil down to the judge's 'opinion'. Secondly, I loved the commentary on police brutality and the role of cops in society. They risk their lives on a daily basis for us both most get vilified way too easily when something goes a little awry.

A great and underrated film with a thought-provocative ending but which had a limited budget (which is somewhat understandable for TV productions).