True Believer (1989)

Summary

Former civil rights lawyer defends wrongly convicted Asian prisoner.

Director

Joseph Ruben

Downey Factor

High. Though James Woods is the star, they have almost equal screen time.

Character

Roger Baron, a clean-cut assistant to James Woods' pot-smoking long-haired hippie.

Looks

Wears glasses, wardrobe is not particularly dazzling.

Performance

Nothing exceptional, but perfectly fine.

Line

That's weird. I thought the morgue would be more uptown.

Dies, Gay or Villain

No, no, no.

Cast

James Woods

Connection

James Woods in Chaplin

RDJ Says

With Woods, I was just sucking up as much as I could because he's the greatest actor in the world. We had a lot of fun. He's the wicked wit of the West ... He kind of found me endearing or whatever, and so he made a point of picking on me completely every day. We liked each other enough to never say it to each other, but it wasn't surface; it was really cool ... In the movie there's a speech that goes, "Man originated from the sea." So I did this fishboy impression. James [Woods] cracked up. After that we kept doing it. I mean, just look at this guy. He would never have done this before he met me ... I liked the film just because I love working with James Woods, because he's so fucking great. You learn a lot while you're hanging out with him, but you wonder why he is so adamant that certain things be a certain way. And then you look back and you understand ... we were doing a scene together, and I was right on the edge of really making something happen, you know? It's like trying to really make something spontaneous or great happen. I was saying my lines, and he was just looking at me, kind of like, "You're getting there. You're getting there." And then I laughed because it was like masturbating. He got this weird look and cocked his head a little bit to the side, and he just reached over and fucking cracked me right in the middle of the take. And if it hadn't been him, or if the timing hadn't been right, I would have said, "What the fuck are you doing?" But he's so smart, he slapped me on the side of my face that wasn't to the camera, and he slapped me on my neck instead of on my face so a big red mark wouldn't show up. He even thought that out—I think I'll slap Downey today. I trusted him enough and was willing enough to learn. It wasn't like I needed to be slapped or anything. He was saying, "Here is the point where you can't let the door close, and he put his foot in the door by slapping me, and something great happened." ... When the hanging-bag hook got caught, I said, "Fuck," 'cause I was gonna have to do it again. And then I said, "No, this could be really great, but I have to get out of here quick. I have to get out of here and still go up all the stairs and stay in the frame, or it's not going to be worth it." So I made it happen.

Gossip

James Woods' nickname for Robert Downey Jr during filming was "Binky."

Time & Place

Present day (1989), New York.

Availability

Released in theaters 17 February 1989. On DVD in Region 1, 2 and 4

Foreign Titles

Brazil: Justiça Corrupta (Corrupt Justice)
Canada: Cause Perdue (Lost Cause)
Croatia: Pakao Pravde (Hell Justice)
Denmark: Det Beskidte Spil (Dirty Games)
Finland: Oikeutta Vastaan (Against Justice)
Germany: Das Dreckige Spiel (The Dirty Play)
Hungary: Az igazság bajnoka (The Crusader)
Israel: The Attorney (English translation)
Italy: Verdetto Finale (Final Verdict)
Poland: Samotny w Obliczu Prawa (Alone in the Face of the Law)
Spain: Solo Ante la Ley (Only Before the Law)
Sweden: Fighting Justice

Rotten Tomatoes

96% Fresh | 14 Reviews

Critical View

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: I was not particularly impressed by Downey as the idealistic young law graduate. He seemed sort of indistinct, and I wondered why. Downey gave one of the best performances of recent years in Less Than Zero ... [James Woods is] the kind of actor who has such high voltage, who's so wound up, that maybe a younger actor tends to defer. We've all had that feeling of being in a conversation with someone else who has seized the advantage and kept it. Maybe working with Woods gives you the same feeling.

Hal Hinson, Washington Post: Apart from Woods, the cast is strong, particularly Downey, who's droll and likably callow in his button-down regalia.

Does It Hold Up

The reviews suggest that this movie was well-received by critics in 1989 and 35+ years later it's ... not great or terrible, it's just a little cheesy and outdated feeling.

2 Reasons to See It

1. For once, Downey plays the guy who isn't on drugs.
2. Well, this one does have a coherent and non-outrageous plot.

Overall

If nothing else, this one is a step in the right direction on his path from relatively unknown young actor to movie star.

If You Like It

You might also like The Judge (2014), The Gingerbread Man (1998), John Grisham novels

Photos

Video