Just Cause

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Just Cause

R

1995

1h 42m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

27%

Tomatometer

30 Reviews

46%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Paul Armstrong (Sean Connery), a law professor who staunchly fights the death penalty, is lured into defending a death row inmate, Bobby Earl Ferguson (Blair Underwood), convicted of rape and murder. Ferguson is there due to a coerced confession at the hands of a snarling local sheriff (Laurence Fishburne). Armstrong starts to suspect that a psychotic serial killer (Ed Harris) may be the real culprit. But the deeper Armstrong gets, the more he realizes he doesn't know who's innocent at all.

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Critics Consensus

Just Cause you round up a phenomenal cast, that doesn't mean you have everything you need for a solid legal thriller -- and this film is forgettable proof.

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Mick LaSalle

San Francisco Chronicle

Jun 18, 2002

3/4

In Connery it has a hero who is inescapably appealing.

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Rick Groen

Globe and Mail

Apr 12, 2002

Despite its merits, the script fails to escape the silly season that fouls up so many thrillers, that time when the twists merely seem like the narrative equivalents of those violin shrieks on a cheesy score.

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Peter Rainer

Los Angeles Times

Feb 13, 2001

2/5

It doesn't bog down in the bogs, but it's slow-moving just about everyplace else.

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

Nov 12, 2025

2.5/5

This has one of cinema's most ridiculously overwrought car chase relative to its general plot and pacing. It also has Ed Harris extracting every nutrient from this 100-calorie snack pack, which is entertaining unto itself.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Sep 14, 2020

7/10

Paced like a courtroom drama, with a devious plot featuring an above-standard presentation of hunting for clues, uncovering conspiracies, and interrogating witnesses.

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Ed Travis

Hollywood Jesus

Mar 31, 2020

It'd be easy to just pop Just Cause in and enjoy it as a brisk thriller. But there are so many better thrillers out there to engage your adrenaline and your brain.

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Tim W

@RT72268042 Jul 31, 2026

Excellent cast and great acting. I didn't see the end being what it was, but when it happened it felt a little predictable. The acting made up for any shortcomings from the story itself for me though - hidden jewel here...great film.. I highly recommend it.

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Jerod S

@jeroduptown Jan 27, 2026

It's supposed to be a legal thriller? Or a action thriller? Or all of em? The cast is superb, but the plot doesn't grab you in any of those ways.

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Christopher D

@RT25021900 Nov 12, 2025

This is a good film. Wouldn't call it amazing or groundbreaking but it was compelling and I didn't predict the outcome. I had a couple of issues with the outcome in that it seems like it's validating certain characters' actions, but it still worked well. Typical Hollywood ending, one of the reasons why the critics hate it, but at the end of the day, those endings exist because viewers want them.

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Baxmeuste V

@RT24933534 Oct 3, 2025

I think this is a very good movie. It would have been even better for its time. It’s also nice to see many of the actors play contrasting roles for a change. Great twists and drama. A must see for suspense drama enthusiasts. I would say more, but I wouldn’t want to spoil the plot. five stars.

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Daniel N

@Hotchopeppa Aug 30, 2025

No bad. Kinda slow so had to watch in a couple sittings. Interesting twist at the end.

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Marie L

@RT75264577 Jul 20, 2025

WIth a cast like this one, this film should have been a knockout. It's not. Sean Connery is walking through his role, but even his worst is better than most actors' best. The rest of the cast do their best, but in this case, their best just wasn't good enough to overcome a tangled plot and thin production values. I kept feeling sorry for the actors, even Harris, who gives a high-octane performance akin to Hopkins' Hannibal Lector. They deserved a much better screenplay. It's worth a look, though, if just to see talented performers in a moss-dripping bayou struggle their way through a web of red herrings.

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Arne Glimcher

Director

Sean Connery

Paul Armstrong

Laurence Fishburne

Sheriff Tanny Brown

Kate Capshaw

Laurie Prentiss Armstrong

Blair Underwood

Bobby Earl

Ed Harris

Blair Sullivan

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Synopsis

Paul Armstrong (Sean Connery), a law professor who staunchly fights the death penalty, is lured into defending a death row inmate, Bobby Earl Ferguson (Blair Underwood), convicted of rape and murder. Ferguson is there due to a coerced confession at the hands of a snarling local sheriff (Laurence Fishburne). Armstrong starts to suspect that a psychotic serial killer (Ed Harris) may be the real culprit. But the deeper Armstrong gets, the more he realizes he doesn't know who's innocent at all.

Director: Arne Glimcher
Producer: Lee Rich, Arne Glimcher, Steve Perry
Production Co: Warner Bros.
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $35.7M
Runtime: 1h 42m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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