It's been a while since I've seen this film, but I seem to remember a part where Gere's character was saying that he had done something really bad when he was working for the prosecutor. I don't remember if they ever said what that thing was... does anyone else know? And if not, what do you think he was talking about?
shareI explained in another post but it got deleted, so I'll try again.
The bad bad thing was the Michael O'Donnell case where he [as well as the detective bloke with a cold] took a bribe from ShawnAssy [the REAL bad guy in movie] to cover up the bishop's PEDOPHILE activities, ie actual pedophile and not what is being taught in schools today.
movie is smart enough to go very hush hush on this so as not to suffer same fate as Kubrick in Eyes Wide Shut when he was NOT so hush hush and got footage deleted and got bumped off.
we simply see the 10 year old O'Donnell, now 20, in court and Marty does the huge nod to him as he calls SwawnAssy to the stand, so we have to assume that he got his assistants to track him down and ask him to attend court BUT purely as a spectator.
ShawnAssy takes one look and goes ashen and Marty Shaws off his Assy on the stand, even though it is simply a Blue Horse that will cost him 10 grand, BUT as he tells ShawnAssy "that was for Joey".
his commission for Joey deal was $600,000 so $10,000 was peanuts, and he even asks judge "shall I make check out to you" to say she too was up to her sweet black ass in all the "doings" going down here, where in fact Joey was the only straight guy.
http://www.kindleflippages.com/ablog/
I agree with many of your points but this "ShawnAssy" thing is not cute. The judge was not in on it. At all. She simply ran a tight courtroom.
Can you hear me?....They did this
I did not see it your way re judge but that's fine.
I thought the first scene where judge and all were rubbing shoulders at the "Catholic Convention" was saying just that, ie judge WOULD terminate examination of ShawnAssy as it got too hot and do her blue horse of ordering jury to disregard it.
also her bench judgment at the end made sure there were no further court matters, which was most kind to ShawnAssy [which is not meant to be cute but IMHO the interp one is MEANT to get from his name], because while his lawyer tells gal to look for a job, essentially THAT is the end of both their jobs at DA office
or as Marty said - the pipes just burst John
http://www.kindleflippages.com/ablog/
the $10,000 was for trying to introduce an insanity plea in the middle of a trial and ignoring the Judge, it had nothing to do with the cross examination of Shaughnessy( an Irish surname, not an intended play on words)
near the end he asks for the $10,000 back since his client actually got off on insanity. I presume it goes to the 'poor box', not the judges pockets
Theres no indication he took a bribe, he doesnt seem like a corrupt person, a bribe wouldnt be necessary as Shaughnessy was his superior and he had no choice but to follow direct orders from the chain of command.
as he now works for himself and is well established he can afford to take on Shaughnessy, in the past that would have been career suicide.