top news maker

If Vince Bugliosi had prosecuted this case, O.J. Simpson would now be eating prison food. The book presents an excellent analysis of the successes and failures of each side's legal strategy. Mr. Bugliosi blasts almost everyone connected with the trial for their lack of ethics, respect for the court system, and overall competence. He also presents his ideas as to how he would examine and cross-examine different witnesses, and how he would refute the outlandish defense charges of conspiracy.

This fascinating and engrossing book is well-documented with, at times, incredible facts. For example, take a look at the Notes to page 134 of the hardcover version. Detective Mark Fuhrman, years ago, had a complaint filed against him by a civil rights leader. The complaint made it all the way to the number three man in the LA District Attorney's office. That person did not recommend prosecution against Fuhrman. As Bugliosi writes, "I could give you a hundred guesses and you still wouldn't guess who that person was. It was Johnny Cochran."

This is an outstanding book.

Having just read Mr. Bugliosi's wonderful book, "And The Sea Will Tell", I was eager to get his take on the O.J. Simpson trial. He scathingly proved what was, even from my layman's perspective, clear to me from watching the opening arguments on TV -- that this inept prosecution team could not have convicted O.J. with this jury and Johnnie Cochran even if O.J. stood up and confessed. However, no matter how much he might have tried to spread the blame around to the so-called "Dream Team" and the jury, Bugliosi rightly laid the bulk of this travesty of justice at the feet of Clark and Darden. In addition to their own mountain of mistakes and plain poor preparation and presentation, it is they, along with the media-absorbed and quite mediocre Lance Ito, who allowed the defense the type of freedom they had in proffering their ridiculous "frame-up" nonsense to the jury.

I was disappointed that much of what he wrote that fell outside of the specifics of the O.J. trial was lifted straight out of "And The Sea Will Tell". In only one small passage did he acknowledge this fact. I guess it's O.K. to plagiarize your own works, but it shouldn't be offered up as "new" material. It gave a large part of the book a "recycled" feel, which was disappointing.

What really took me aback was Bugliosi's eight-page diatribe against God, after spending the first 340 pages proving beyond any reasonable doubt that the prosecution was completely and unbelievably incompetent and, of course, O.J. did it. This non sequitur into theology was totally out of place. I wish that I could cross-examine Mr. Bugliosi on this one -- I think I could beat him at his own game! He should at least try reading St. Thomas Aquinas' commentary on the Book of Job before asking where God was in all of this.

Vince, you're the best -- but stick with the law and leave the theology to the Church.

In the first week of October 1995, only one person on the planet was angrier than I was - and that person was none other than Vincent Bugliosi - star prosecutor of the Manson gang. Thus, I was drawn to his account of the debacle known as the O.J. trial as if it contained the secrets of Tutankhamen. There are many attributes to this seething indictment of our legal system, the brain-dead jury who rendered the laughable verdict, and the bunglings of the prosecutors (and the eunuch-like judge) involved in this case. However......

Bugliosi gives an "F" grade to Marcia Clark, Chris Darden, et. al. A failing grade? Really now, Mr. Bugliosi. The same evidence that convinced you, me and millions of other non-retarded individuals was presented by the very prosecutors you excoriate in this book. Yes, they were clumsy. Yes, they made critical errors. But let's face some salient facts here. Forrest Gump could have presented the overwhelming (and irrefutable) evidence in this case - merely by calling in the DNA experts, who proved beyond ANY doubt that Simpson's blood was dropped at the crime scene. Virginia Woolf, in the midst of a lithium overdose, could have been convinced of the disgraced NFL star's guilt.

Mr. Bugliosi states, with the supreme confidence of someone supremely confident, that "he could have convinced the O.J. juty to convict O.J." Come again? Let's be reasonable here. The genius prosecutor of Manson and his trogledyte terrorists did not have a jury inflamed by Rodney King, nor were Manson and his co-defendants sports icons. The Manson jurors were reasonable, compassionate people who listened to the evidence, maintained a healthy respect for justice, and saw through the sophomoric antics of the defense team. (Anyone remember Irving Kanarek? If you don't, count your lucky stars.)

"Outrage" marked the first and only time I've ever been somewhat annoyed with Vince Bugliosi. He can't expect every prosecutor, especially someone with a mountain-sized chip on their shoulder (C. Darden) to perform to his standards. Lightning doesn't strike twice - and neither will Bugliosi's genius of the early seventies.

Bugliosi is absolutely correct in disdaining the woeful verdict that exonerated O.J. for his despicable behavior. His meticulous examination of the mistakes that pervaded the trial is beyond reproach. However, I believe he fails to recognize another irrefutable fact: His own staggering brilliance would not have swayed O.J.'s jury; rather, it would have worked against him. It's fairly obvious that this jury would not have convicted the wife-battering O.J. - not even if they had witnessed the crime first-hand. (Two words: "Brenda" and "Moran" come to mind. As Dominick Dunne so succinctly said, "Never underestimate the power of stupidity.")

Yes, there was plenty of blame to go around in one of the bleakest events in the history of American justice. Bugliosi is justifiably bitter; I too shall be saddened until the day I leave this earth. Like Bugliosi, I cannot regard the lives of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman as any less sacred than those of Emmett Till or Medgar Evers. I regret that I was not old enough to vote on those juries so many years ago, because I despise the mockery of justice and virulent racism that pervaded those proceedings. Like O.J.'s jury, those panels were populated by ignorant persons possessed of personal animus, limited intelligence and misdirected rage.

"We've got to protect our own," Carrie Bess allegedly belched to one her fellow jurors. Let's put the blame where it belongs, Mr. Bugliosi: on a defense attorney whose insipid blatherings shouldn't have scared a two-year-old; on a jury who refused to see the truth - and who deliberated for an appallingly short time - and a flaccidly foolish judge who couldn't control his own courtroom. It is Bugliosi's heavy-handed condemnation of the prosecution that detracts from an otherwise excellent presentation. Yet, I shall always admire and respect Mr. Bugliosi for his years of dedication to the cause of justice, and my loyalty is unwavering - now and for always.

Synopsis:
The world's tallest building is nearly complete and a dedication ceremony is held to commemorate it. But the reception turns into a disaster, though it's not because of bad tuna. An electrical fault caused by bad wiring (caused by contractor's cutting corners) creates a fire that threatens to consume all 100+ floors of the building. It becomes a race against time to rescue the trapped guests before it's too late.

About the Movie:
The Towering Inferno is one of those films that stands as something of a landmark in film making. The second great disaster film (after Poseidon Adventure), the Towering Inferno helped set the pace for all the big budget disaster films that were to come, both with its spectacular special effects and its cast of big names that includes the likes of Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, William Holden, Fay Dunnaway and Fred Astaire.

Even now, 30 years later, Towering Inferno still stands up pretty well despite its dated 1970s film conventions. This longevity and appeal probably has something to do with the continued threat that fire poses to tall buildings. Fear of fire is still an innate fear for people who work and live in tall buildings. In a way, this movie has been eerily punctuated by the Twin Tower tragedy in 2001 and how fire took such a tragic toll.

But this isn't the only reason. The Towering Inferno also has the distinction that it is simply an entertaining watch.

As far as an effects movie, Inferno's makes great use of model and pyrotechnic effects that still stand up fairly well, even against today's generation of computer enhanced imagery. The fire and smoke sequences are pretty harrowing in some scenes and the overall sense of danger is easily conveyed. Other sequences, including a harrowing helicopter rescue, are spectacular.

The cast of Inferno is about as star studded as you can get for that time period, though not all actors shine in roles.

Notable roles include that of the great Steve McQueen. A superior actor in any film, he really shines here as the matter of factly O'Hallorhan, a San Francisco Fire Chief. He's utterly believable in the role, doing a lot to add credibility to the film's sometimes outlandish sequences. Notable too is Fred Astaire, who was actually nominated for an Academy Award for his role here as an elderly con artist trapped with the rest of the guests.

William Holden as the building's owner and Paul Newman as the building's architect, while neither flashy, both act as anchors for the film and give room for other actors to shine. Other roles include Richard Chamberlain in an atypical (and regrettably stereotypically selfish badguy) role for him as the movie's villain. Faye Dunnaway, Robert Vaughn and Robert Wagner also have major roles. This movie also has the distinction of being the first movie that O. J. Simpson had a major role in. He isn't too bad.

John Williams (of Star Wars fame) wrote the musical score for this movie, proving that even before Star Wars, his soundtracks were pretty good. It has all of the earmarks of a John Williams score without being obvious about it like some of his later movies are. Certainly in this movie, it does a lot to add to the tension and mood. It's not as memorable as Star Wars or ET, but it has its moments.

One major complaint that could be made about this movie is that it starts out so slowly, taking almost 40 minutes before any of the real action begins. This film was made before MTV, and while it drags at the beginning, it can be forgiven as the long opening has the distinction of building up tension. And the tension, once put on, holds true right through to the end sequences.

Likewise, another complaint could be made against Inferno is that it's filled with disaster movie clichés. While this may be true, it's not entirely fair to hold it against it. Towering Inferno, along with Poseidon Adventure, created many of the disaster movie clichés that live on today.

True, there are a lot of things about this movie that are hokey, like the stereotypical reason for the fire and a couple of the action sequences, but they don't detract from the entertainment factor, or the fact that even 30 years after it debuted, it still can hold an audience riveted.

About the DVD:
The Towering Inferno comes in standard hard case on a single-sided DVD in Widescreen format with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound or standard surround sound. The film has no foreign language tracks and has English and Spanish subtitles.

The picture in this release is above average. It's not as bad as you'd expect on a video cassette, but it's not as clean as it could have been on DVD, with some noticeable light grain on high resolution screens. The sound is about average as well, though Dolby digital sound pulls out the wonderful power of William's sound track and the crackling of the flames.

As far as special features, this DVD has two that are pretty standard for budget DVD releases, the theatrical trailer and a list of cast biographies. They're so standard, it's not accurate to call them special any more.

It's a shame there isn't more on this DVD. At the time of this review's writing, this DVD release is the only one out there for this movie. I know there have been documentaries and interviews done about this movie over the years. It would be fascinating to see them now 30 years after the movie was made, especially in respect to the special effects and Fred Astaire's somewhat surprising role.

Bottom Line: A fun movie on a budget DVD release. 4 stars

Firstly, this movie deserves praise for Faye Dunaway's dress that she wears throughout the entire film. But movies shouldn't all be beautiful women in provocative clothing, this movie has it all. Produced by Irwin Allen, who produced "The Poseidon Adventure" before this movie. Allen bested himself in this flick.

The story is relatively simple; the world's highest skyscraper catches on fire. There is a large party on the top floor, and we watch as people fight for survival as the fire creeps towards them. Only Steve McQueen playing a streetwise firehouse captain, and Paul Newman acting as the tower's architect can stop the fire before everyone inside dies. As I was re-watching this film I couldn't help but think of the similar situation faced by many in the 9-11 attack. Their result was not as positive.

throughout the film there are too many people, too many relationships, and too much death to keep track of everything. However, the important people to watch are Fred Astaire, Faye Dunaway, Paul Newman, and Steve McQueen. This is the only real weakness to the film.

Also, for a film that is approaching 30 years old the special effects are still good, and that will make this a good film for a long time. The images of the tower burning, the fires, and the stunts are superb.

At times, the acting in this film can seem a bit stiff. That's early on, however after the first 20 minutes of the film everyone seems to find their place in the film. One of the notable performances is done by O.J. Simpson, who plays as a senior security guard. The interplay between McQueen and Newman is also well done, especially since there was a good chance of major dorkdom in the architect of the "perfect" building versus the blue-collar fireman plotline.

Some may complain that the movie is slow, and maybe by modern "immediate gratification" standards it is, I say that the tension builds, you care about the characters, many of which, and are left at the end of your seat. And I was watching the thing on a computer; imagine what a decent entertainment system will do.

This definitely is an "essential" film.

Somebody once asked James Garner's character on "The Rockford Files" TV show if there was nothing he wouldn't do for money. He wouldn't kill for it and he wouldn't marry for it, he said, other than that he was pretty much open to suggestions. Paul Newman and Steve McQueen must have been open to suggestions when they ok'd this turkey, and I wish they had said no. The world's tallest skyscraper is burning due to shoddy construction work, and architect Newman and fireman McQueen would like to put it out before the entire cast is incinerated. On top of the building are a million gallons of water in reserve Newman forgot about in all the excitement. Why this 2500 ton weight hasn't gone crashing into the basement we are not informed but the daring duo manage to blow up the tanks and there's your happy ending. O J Simpson rescues a cat and Fred Astaire, after a lifetime of giving the American movies some of their greatest moments, was awarded an Oscar for enduring this production.