Reversal of Fortune
A brilliant defense lawyer and his students dissect a sensational attempted-murder conviction while the comatose victim's version of events remains hauntingly uncertain.
Overview
A gripping legal drama that unravels the complexities of truth and justice in a high-profile murder case.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- intellectual
- tense
- sardonic
- legal thriller night
- true crime viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's sophisticated true-crime legal drama, Nicholas Kazan's screenplay, Barbet Schroeder's direction, and especially the performances led by Jeremy Irons.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Dershowitz and his students spend the story reconstructing the prosecution's case and testing its evidentiary weaknesses before the appeal.
Sunny's narration, Claus's explanations, and the legal team's reconstruction produce incompatible interpretations of the coma and alleged crime.
The von Bülow marriage, enormous financial resources, and elite social world frame the defense and the surrounding assumptions.
The film juxtaposes aristocratic domestic spaces and refined manners with coma imagery, medical details, and forensic investigation.
Films like Reversal of Fortune, and why
The Verdict
intelligent legal investigation, moral ambiguity, and procedural tension surrounding a contested conviction
A Few Good Men
true-crime courtroom drama driven by competing narratives, evidence, and charismatic legal performances
The People vs. Larry Flynt
stylish biographical legal drama examining wealth, privilege, and adversarial justice
The Accused
psychological mystery and trial drama built around uncertainty over guilt and competing accounts
Movie Details
- Director
- Barbet Schroeder
- Release Date
- 1990-10-19
- Runtime
- 111 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (365)
Cast
- Glenn Close
- Jeremy Irons
- Ron Silver
- Annabella Sciorra
- Uta Hagen
- Fisher Stevens
- Jack Gilpin
- Christine Baranski
- Stephen Mailer
- Christine Dunford
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Reversal of Fortune about?
- A brilliant defense lawyer and his students dissect a sensational attempted-murder conviction while the comatose victim's version of events remains hauntingly uncertain.
- What is Reversal of Fortune like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Reversal of Fortune as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Reversal of Fortune violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Reversal of Fortune as mild.
- What did critics think of Reversal of Fortune?
- Critics broadly praised the film's sophisticated true-crime legal drama, Nicholas Kazan's screenplay, Barbet Schroeder's direction, and especially the performances led by Jeremy Irons.
- Which films are like Reversal of Fortune?
- Films with a similar feel include The Verdict, A Few Good Men, The People vs. Larry Flynt, and The Accused.
- How long is Reversal of Fortune?
- Reversal of Fortune runs 111 minutes.
- Where can I watch Reversal of Fortune?
- In United States, Reversal of Fortune is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
