ABSTRACT
Consider the story line of a mainstream film. In The Verdict, Galvin, an alcoholic lawyer who has lost faith in the law, is given a lucrative open-andshut case to settle out of court. But, finding himself moved by the injustice the case represents and seeing an opportunity to redeem himself, he decides to bring it to trial. We know this is crazy, and, sure enough, he runs the case into the ground. At this point, there’s nothing left and the script may as well end with Galvin’s return to his dissolute life. But now, Galvin digs down and seizes the story. He finds “something in himself,” and when everyone else wants to quit, he persists. At the “darkest moment,” Galvin comes up with the clue that leads him to the critical witness. He wins the case and achieves personal redemption.
