Reviews

'The Trial' acquits itself gracefully

Review by Lawrence Toppman, Charlotte Observer
September 9, 2010

Not all of us like surprises.

Some moviegoers want reaffirmation of beliefs in the basic decency of man and the protective love of God. We want to know that the despairing fellow who puts a gun under his chin in the first scene will never do that again, that the guilty will be punished and the innocent freed, that mournful and lonely folk will find consolation and the hope of enduring romance. Read More

"The Trial is Guilty … of Being a Wonderful Film"

By Noel T. Manning, II – Host for Cinemascene and voting member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association
August 22, 2010

Director Gary Wheeler has delivered a beautiful film in the courtroom drama, "The Trial." Based on the award-winning novel by Robert Whitlow, Wheeler's marvelous interpretation is of a tragic story of pain, suffering and loss ultimately giving way to hope and rediscovery. This story shines on film.

After the tragic death of his family, lawyer, Kent "Mac" McClain (Matthew Modine) feels he has nothing left to live for until he’s called upon to defend a murder suspect in a potential death penalty case. Over the course of the trail, McClain must learn how to truly experience life again, if he has any hopes of saving his client, and himself.

The cast, including - Matthew Modine, Robert Forster and Bob Gunton, offered performances that felt both believable and real. The locations chosen for this film were perfectly stunning, and the legendary director of photography, Tom Priestley ("The Great Gatsby," "Deliverance") knows how to make the screen speak, and in "The Trial", he makes it shout. His command of camera and lighting design in "The Trial" brought the film to life.

So many times, a potentially good, or even great film can be destroyed by bad sound design and poor musical choices for the soundtrack. But I must say, that Wheeler found a way to recruit talent to make this feel seamless. The fullness of the recorded dialogue and the emotive elegance of the musical soundtrack offered a purely ambient atmosphere that felt natural.

One of Wheeler's greatest gifts is the ability to recognize exceptional talent (cast and crew) and to find ways to bring those collaborative efforts to the production table (while leaving egos behind). Having had the opportunity to watch Wheeler behind the camera, I noticed something unique to the world of filmmaking. Gary Wheeler makes the entire cast and crew feel as if they really matter to the production – and the thing is, they really do, all of them, and he let's them know it. Wheeler's positive energy, nice-guy attitude, control of the production process and his passion for storytelling on film will continue to inspire and impact future independent filmmakers.

As a director, Wheeler keeps getting better. I feel that "The Trial" is his most complete work and his best film to date. After watching "The Trial," I find myself excited to see what’s next for Wheeler.