FAQ

Down-on-his-luck attorney Frank Galvin (Paul Newman), who has taken to drinking and ambulance chasing, gets a chance to salvage his career when former associate Mickey Morrissey (Jack Warden) hands him a case of medical malpractice: a young woman rendered brain dead after being incorrectly anesthetized during childbirth. At first, Galvin is only after the money but, as he becomes involved in Deborah Ann Kaye's plight, he is determined to take the case to trial rather than settle for a paltry $210,000; in order to punish the guilty, to get a decent settlement for his clients, and to restore his standing as a lawyer.

The Verdict is also a 1980 novel by American lawyer and novelist Barry Reed. The novel was adapted for the movie by American screenwriter David Mamet.

Frank facetiously refers to himself (as do others) as an "ambulance chaser." An ambulance chaser is defined as a lawyer who actively seeks out accident victims, often at the very site of the accident or shortly thereafter, as potential clients and encourages them to sue for damages. That's what Frank is doing in the opening scenes of the movie when he hands out his business cards to bereaved families during their loved ones' funerals.

Cracking a raw egg in a class of beer and chugging it down was once considered a remedy for curing a hangover. Eggs contain the amino acid cysteine, a precursor of glutathione which helps metabolize acetaldehyde (the stuff that causes hangovers). Often consumed as a "breakfast" following a night of drinking or by night-shift workers just getting off the job, it fell out of favor in the late 1990s due to the fear of contacting salmonella poisoning from the consumption of raw eggs. The raw-egg-in-your-beer drink is sometimes fortified with lime, pickle juice, an added squirt of hot sauce, a shot or two of tomato, Clamato, Snap-e-Tom, or V-8 juices, in which case the resulting concoction is referred to as a "red eye".

Frank is stating for the record that he objects to the judge's ruling. In some courts of law, this is required in order to preserve an objection for appeal. If an exception is not raised, the objection to the ruling may be waived in the court of appeals.

Renowned anesthesiologist Dr David Gruber (Lewis J. Stadlen) was totally gung-ho at testifying for the prosecution if Galvin takes the case to trial, so many viewers find it suspicious that he suddenly disappears just before the trial. His housekeeper claims that he is vacationing on a Caribbean island with no way to be contacted, and no other explanation is provided. Viewers have suggested several possibilities: (1) Gruber was bought out by the archdiocese, Defense Attorney Ed Concannon (James Mason), and/or St Catherine Lavouree Hospital anesthesiologist Dr Towler (Wesley Addy), (2) Concannon (or even Towler) dug up something from Gruber's past and blackmailed him with it, (3) Gruber was leading Galvin on, perhaps put up to it by Concannon or Towler, in order to persuade him to continue to trial rather than settle, knowing that he was planning to disappear and ruin Frank's case, or (4) Gruber simply was on vacation and couldn't be contacted when the case that had been on the calendar for 18 months was suddenly given a court date less than two weeks away.

When Judge Hoyle (Milo O'Shea) declares that both the photocopy and testimony of Kaitlin Costello (Lindsay Crouse) be stricken from the record on the grounds that the defense holds the original hospital admission form which states that Deborah had eaten a full dinner nine hours prior to coming to the hospital, Frank and Mick slump in defeat. With no other tactics to use against the defense, Frank presents his closing summation in which he reminds the jury that they are the law and that they should "act with justice." After deliberating, the jury returns to the courtroom and, in a surprise move, returns a verdict of guilty. They then ask whether they can increase the amount of the award, and the judge says yes. He orders them back into the deliberation room to decide upon the amount. As Frank and Mick leave the courtroom amid many congratulations, Frank notices Laura Fischer (Charlotte Rampling) watching him from across the vestibule. On second glance, she is gone. In the final scene, Laura lays on her bed in a drunken stupor, picks up the phone, and calls Frank. Relaxing in his office chair, Frank hears the phone ring 14 times but does not pick it up.