Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a score of 2.5 out of 4, writing, “There`s so much in it, it`s very heavy. The miracle is that so many scenes play out as well as they do. The score was composed and conducted by Elmer Bernstein, his last collaboration with Ivan Reitman.[10] The soundtrack album was released by MCA Records, with a selection of the newly recorded score in England under the composer`s direction and the songs “Good Lovin`” by The Rascals, “Magic Carpet Ride” by Steppenwolf and “Put Out The Fire” by Daryl Hannah (which she performs on screen). Rod Stewart`s “Love Touch” was featured in the film, but as it is exclusive to Warner Bros. Records, it does not appear on the album. Roger Ebert was a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for outstanding critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 44%, based on reviews from 16 critics. [8] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a B+ rating on the scale of A to F.[9] “Redford captures the screen better than anyone I`ve ever seen,” Reitman said during filming. “To compete with him on screen, you need someone with a lot of substance. You need another star. And movies where you don`t have anyone with the strength of women like Streisand and Fonda or men like Hoffman and Newman are erased from the screen.
I think Debra Winger has stuff like that. That is what I am counting on. It seems to be in the footage we`ve shot so far. [7] Legal Eagles Cast & Crew with Robert RedfordDebra WingerDaryl HannahBrian DennehyTerence StampSteven Hill Director Ivan Reitman Writer Jim CashJack Epps Jr. Producer Ivan Reitman Details Distributor Universal City Studios, Inc. Release date 20. June 1986 Duration 116 minutes United States Language English Budget US$40 million Domestic box office US$49.8 million abroad US$43.3 million worldwide US$93.1 million Legal Eagles is an American drama film directed by Robert Redford, Debra Winger, Daryl Hannah, Brian Dennehy, Terence Stamp and Steven Hill. released in 1986. The film was built at Universal, which is operated by CAA client Frank Price. Tom Mankiewicz was hired to rewrite the script. [3] [4] Filmmakers spare no expense. The director is Ivan Reitman, whose previous loan was “Ghostbusters,” which was supposed to be a tech explosion.
This time, in a film nominally about real people, fires and explosions distract a trifle. In October 1985, it was announced that Reitman would direct, starring Redford, Winger and Hannah. [5] “I love sophisticated comedies from the late `40s, and I see it as that kind of movie,” Reitman said. [6] “For years, I felt like Parafin had been poured on me,” Redford said. “I wanted to do something lighter.” With a production budget of $40 million, the film is one of the most expensive ever released to date.[2] It grossed a total of $49,851,591 in North America and $43,300,000 internationally, totaling $93,151,591 worldwide. The film was originally intended to be a vehicle for Dustin Hoffman and Bill Murray, the latter being a client of CAA, and was written as a buddy movie.[11] Murray withdrew. Ivan Reitman met with Robert Redford, another CAA client, about another project and mentioned Legal Eagles. Redford expressed interest in a romantic comedy, so Reitman decided to make it the Spencer Tracy-Katharine Hepburn movie. Redford agreed to do so. “It was easier to get Redford than Bill Murray,” Reitman said. Legal Eagles is a 1986 American drama film directed by Ivan Reitman.
At this point, I think the relationship between Redford and Winger is supposed to remind us of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, but Spence would certainly never do what Redford does: sleep with a suspected criminal. Hannah develops the practice of being late to her apartment, scared and disheveled, and when she tries to seduce him, he turns out to be a dealer. Detective Cavanaugh is actually the former associate of Joe Brock, Taft and Forrester, whom they blamed for the fraudulent scheme, which led to Brock`s sentence in prison. At the Taft Gallery, Brock forces Kelly and Chelsea to smash a large hollow sculpture hiding Sebastian Deardon`s missing paintings, now valued at $20 million. Brock took the paintings and then set fire to the gallery to escape during the evacuation. Logan arrives and fights with Brock, who falls to death. Logan finds Kelly and Chelsea, grabs the paintings and the three leave the burning gallery. Outside, Chelsea tearfully reveals the inscription “To Chelsea” on the back of his father`s painting.
After all charges against Chelsea were dropped, Logan`s former boss, who profited from Logan`s publicity, offered him his former job. Logan decides to continue working with Kelly, with whom he now has a romantic relationship. Tom Logan (Robert Redford), an assistant district attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney`s Office, is expected to be the next district attorney. Laura Kelly (Debra Winger), a lawyer representing performance artist Chelsea Deardon (Daryl Hannah), visits Logan to discuss her client`s case. Chelsea is accused of attempting to steal a painting from millionaire Robert Forrester (John McMartin) and claims that her artist father Sebastian Deardon (James Hurdle) gave her the painting eighteen years earlier for her 8th birthday. On the same day, his father and most of his paintings were lost in a mysterious fire. During her murder trial, Chelsea has a flashback memory and openly accuses Forrester of being involved in her father`s death. When an assassin tries to run over Logan and Kelly, the man is fatally hit by a taxi. Logan fetches the assassin`s wallet and finds Forrester`s business card.
Logan and Kelly discover Forrester`s body and find Chelsea hiding at the scene, despite her protesting innocence. Logan goes to the police to find Cavanaugh, while Kelly and Chelsea go to Taft`s gallery where his funeral takes place. A New York District Attorney works and flirts with her opponent and her insane artist client, who is on trial for a murder she did not commit. A New York District Attorney works and flirts with her opponent and her insane artist client, who is on trial for a murder she did not commit. A New York District Attorney works and flirts with her opponent and her insane artist client, who is on trial for a murder she did not commit. “Legal Eagles” is advertised as a comedy, but it`s actually a tour through many genres, including thriller, trial, crime, romance, and special effects film. No wonder there doesn`t seem to be enough space for people. Tom Logan: If I had found Victor Taft dead on the ground and Chelsea Deardon`s fingerprints on the gun, there wouldn`t be much to convince me that she wasn`t guilty. You see, let`s save us a lot of time. Let`s face it.
There are better things we could do. Who thinks Chelsea Deardon is guilty? She says many paintings survived the fire for insurance fraud. Filming lasted six weeks with a two-week break. Redford`s fees were $4 million and the budget was over $30 million. [2] At an official dinner to publicize Logan`s candidacy for the next district attorney, Kelly unexpectedly arrives with Chelsea and holds an impromptu press conference to force Logan`s cooperation. Soon after, Forrester drops all charges against Chelsea after exchanging Denidon`s painting for a Picasso with art gallery curator Victor Taft (Terence Stamp). Taft and Forrester were both partners of Sebastian Deardon and do not want Chelsea to be prosecuted. Taft later shows Logan and Kelly the painting of Denidon traded, on the back of which no inscription for Chelsea is written, as she claims. Soon after, police detective Cavanaugh (Brian Dennehy), who investigated the Deardon fire, provides Kelly with proof that the allegedly lost paintings still exist and says that Chelsea`s father was murdered.