Travis Logan, D.A. (1971)

This movie is barely remembered when the topic of great legal/trial films is discussed on IMDb. But I'd suggest this obscure TV movie for anyone who likes good courtoom dramas.

It's a tiny, made-for-TV flick, of course, so the scale can hardly be the same. But pound for pound, it holds up. The cast are all talented veterans and they sync well together. Dialogue is crisp and the plot has enough clever twists to satisfy anyone (especially if you like "committing a perfect crime" stories).

In this case the perpetrator is Hal Holbrook. He has come up with a clever legal loophole which he thinks will allow him to get away with murder. Brenda Vacarro is his reluctant accomplice. Its up to Vic Morrow, the local D.A. to break their plot apart. He detects something fishy about Holbrook's alibi and becomes obsessed with breaking it down.

An absorbing battle-of-wits between Holbrook and Morrow wages back and forth throughout the short film until it climaxes in a truly mesmerizing cross-examination scene. Perfectly controlled unravelling of plot and emotion at the finale.

Make some time for this little gem if you ever come across it. On the surface, it looks about as mundane and trifling as a hundred others just like it; but stick with it till the end and you'll be glad you did.