The Star Chamber

Infobox_Film
name =The Star Chamber

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| --> imdb_id =0086356
writer =Roderick Taylor
starring =Michael Douglas
Hal Holbrook
Yaphet Kotto
Sharon Gless
director =Peter Hyams
producer =
distributor = 20th Century Fox
released =August 5, 1983
runtime = 109 min
language =English
budget =|

"The Star Chamber" is a 1983 crime drama film written by Roderick Taylor and directed by Peter Hyams. It stars Michael Douglas and Hal Holbrook. Its title is taken from the name of the notorious 17th century English court.

Plot details

Judge Hardin (Douglas) is an idealistic Los Angeles judge who gets frustrated when the technicalities of the law prevent the prosecution of two men who are accused of raping and killing a 10-year-old boy. They were driving slowly late at night and attracted the suspicion of two police officers, who wondered if the van's occupants might be burglars. After checking the license plate for violations, the policemen pulled them over for expired paperwork, smelled marijuana, then saw a bloody shoe inside the van. However, the paperwork was actually submitted on time (it was merely processed late), meaning the police lost their reason to pull over the van -- and Hardin has no choice but to throw out any subsequent discoveries, i.e. the bloody shoe. Hardin is even more distraught when the father of the boy attempts to shoot the criminals in court, but misses and shoots a cop instead. Subsequently, the father commits suicide while in jail. After hearing all this, Judge Hardin approaches his friend, Judge Caulfield (Hal Holbrook), who tells him of a modern "Star Chamber": a group of judges who identify criminals who fell through the judicial system's cracks and then 'do something about them'.

Judge Hardin participates in one of these proceedings in which he presents the case of the two criminals. The Star Chamber declares them "guilty" and dispatches a hired assassin. Soon afterward, however, a police detective (Yaphet Kotto) comes to Judge Hardin with conclusive evidence that someone else raped and killed the boy. Realizing that he and the Star Chamber have just sentenced two men to die for a crime they didn't commit, Hardin implores the Star Chamber to recall the assassin, but is told by the other judges that the hit cannot be canceled. For the judges' own protection, their system includes a buffer between themselves and the assassin; they don't know who he is and he doesn't know who they are. They rationalize to Hardin that although an occasional mistake is inevitable and regrettable, what they are doing still serves society's greater good — especially, they argue, considering that the two targeted men are clearly criminals guilty of plenty of other crimes, even if not of this specific crime for which the group convicted them.

Hardin makes it clear to them that he does not accept their reasoning. Caulfield warns him to back down because the group will do whatever they have to in order to protect themselves. Hardin refuses to heed his warning and says he will do whatever he can to stop the men from being killed. He then tracks down the men to attempt to warn them. However, when he arrives, they do not trust him, as he has stumbled across their illegal drug operation. After they attack him, Hardin is ironically saved by the hitman, disguised as a police officer. He kills the two men before they can kill Hardin. However, with the two men terminated, it becomes clear that the hitman is not finished. He's been instructed to kill Hardin also, and he prepares to shoot. At the last moment, the detective arrives in time and kills the hitman.

The movie ends with the Star Chamber deciding another "case" without Hardin, who is outside in a car with the detective, recording their conversations.

Cast

* Michael Douglas .... Superior Court Judge Steven R. Hardin
* Hal Holbrook .... Judge Benjamin Caulfield
* Yaphet Kotto .... Det. Harry Lowes
* Sharon Gless .... Emily Hardin
* James Sikking .... Dr. Harold Lewin (Daniel's father)
* Joe Regalbuto .... Arthur Cooms
* Don Calfa .... Lawrence Monk

External links

*imdb title|id=0086356|title=The Star Chamber