Robert Redford: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

And 5 That Sucked...

5. Tom Logan - Legal Eagles (1986)

"From the director of Ghostbusters" is a phrase that would make most film fans sit bolt upright with anticipation (not me, incidentally - it's a very overrated film). Certainly expectations were riding high when Ivan Reitman's new film was announced, featuring Redford on the back of Out of Africa (we'll get to that) and Daryl Hannah, who had enjoyed a big hit with Splash two years prior. Unfortunately, the film is a bit of a mess, and Redford certainly doesn't help matters.

Legal Eagles follows Tom Logan, the Assistant District Attorney in New York City. Into his life walks fellow lawyer Laura Kelly (Debra Winger), who is defending her client Chelsea Deardon (Hannah) on a charge of stealing a painting which she claims is hers. As the case progresses, a massive insurance fraud comes to light which sees Logan and Kelly teaming up to get to the bottom of things.

Legal Affairs suffered a difficult production, and its initial theatrical run was so mediocre that additional endings were reshot for the TV broadcasts, neither of which make a great deal of sense. As a film it's very unsure of its tone, with all the potentially interesting twists of the case being hemmed in by second-rate comic banter. Redford simply looks out of place, wanting to play things straight and take it seriously while Reitman and his co-stars want to do the opposite.