Compulsion
Two wealthy law-school students go on trial for murder in this version of the Leopold-Loeb case. In 1924 Chicago, Artie Strauss and Judd Steiner are friends and fellow law students who both come from…
Compulsion
Two wealthy law-school students go on trial for murder in this version of the Leopold-Loeb case. In 1924 Chicago, Artie Strauss and Judd Steiner are friends and fellow law students who both come from wealthy backgrounds. They have few true friends as they believe all their contemporaries are intellectually inferior. Within their relationship, Artie is the dominant and Judd the submissive who says he will do whatever Artie tells him. Although Judd acts intellectually arrogant to others, he also shows signs of weakness and reticence most evident to Artie. Part of their goal in life is to experience how it feels to do everything. As such, they plot to commit what they consider the perfect crime - a kidnapping and murder - not only so that they can experience the sense of killing for killing's sake, but also taunt the law with the knowledge of it and their superiority after the fact. They believe their crime is above the law. Their murder of young Paulie Kessler is not so perfect, with evidence at the scene uncovered by one of their law school colleagues, Sid Brooks, who also works for the Globe newspaper. As Artie and Judd try to manipulate their way out of how the evidence may implicate them, their manipulation ultimately backfires and they are charged with the murder. The most famed trial lawyer in town, Jonathan Wilk, is hired to defend the pair despite his atheism being against the families' sensibilities. Jonathan, renowned for his ability to manipulate juries, has to decide how best to defend his clients in the overwhelming face of evidence against them. The testimony of Ruth Evans, Sid's girlfriend, may have some impact on the trial's outcome. —Huggo Chicago, 1924. Two wealthy, but psychotic young men, who consider themselves more brilliant than others, set out for thrills but go much too far. Meanwhile, fellow law student Sid Brooks makes a deduction from evidence that leads to the identification of the killers, who believe they can outsmart all opponents with ease. Result - a sensational case featuring defense attorney Jonathan Wilk, who puts capital punishment itself on trial. —Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu, edited by Chrid> In Chicago in 1924, two rich college students, Judd Steiner and Arthur Strauss, decide they can commit the perfect murder and get away with it. They kill a boy, Paulie Kessler, but through the efforts of part-time reporter and fellow student Sid Brooks, a pair of glasses left at the scene is traced to the murderers. For their trial, the families hire defense attorney Jonathan Wilk renowned for his skills in getting acquittals. Both men confess to the crime and at first plead not guilty. Once the trial has commenced Wilk, realizing there is no possibility of acquittal, changes the plea to guilty and goes on to make an impassioned speech in favor of leniency. The court is swayed and the men spared the rope and sentenced to life. —garykmcd, edited by Chrid
Compulsion
Biography,Crime,Drama
Film Details
Two wealthy law-school students go on trial for murder in this version of the Leopold-Loeb case. In 1924 Chicago, Artie Strauss and Judd Steiner are friends and fellow law students who both come from wealthy backgrounds. They have few true friends as they believe all their contemporaries are intellectually inferior.
Within their relationship, Artie is the dominant and Judd the submissive who says he will do whatever Artie tells him. Although Judd acts intellectually arrogant to others, he also shows signs of weakness and reticence most evident to Artie. Part of their goal in life is to experience how it feels to do everything.
As such, they plot to commit what they consider the perfect crime - a kidnapping and murder - not only so that they can experience the sense of killing for killing's sake, but also taunt the law with the knowledge of it and their superiority after the fact. They believe their crime is above the law. Their murder of young Paulie Kessler is not so perfect, with evidence at the scene uncovered by one of their law school colleagues, Sid Brooks, who also works for the Globe newspaper.
As Artie and Judd try to manipulate their way out of how the evidence may implicate them, their manipulation ultimately backfires and they are charged with the murder. The most famed trial lawyer in town, Jonathan Wilk, is hired to defend the pair despite his atheism being against the families' sensibilities. Jonathan, renowned for his ability to manipulate juries, has to decide how best to defend his clients in the overwhelming face of evidence against them.
The testimony of Ruth Evans, Sid's girlfriend, may have some impact on the trial's outcome. —Huggo Chicago, 1924. Two wealthy, but psychotic young men, who consider themselves more brilliant than others, set out for thrills but go much too far.
Meanwhile, fellow law student Sid Brooks makes a deduction from evidence that leads to the identification of the killers, who believe they can outsmart all opponents with ease. Result - a sensational case featuring defense attorney Jonathan Wilk, who puts capital punishment itself on trial. —Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu, edited by Chrid> In Chicago in 1924, two rich college students, Judd Steiner and Arthur Strauss, decide they can commit the perfect murder and get away with it.
They kill a boy, Paulie Kessler, but through the efforts of part-time reporter and fellow student Sid Brooks, a pair of glasses left at the scene is traced to the murderers. For their trial, the families hire defense attorney Jonathan Wilk renowned for his skills in getting acquittals. Both men confess to the crime and at first plead not guilty.
Once the trial has commenced Wilk, realizing there is no possibility of acquittal, changes the plea to guilty and goes on to make an impassioned speech in favor of leniency. The court is swayed and the men spared the rope and sentenced to life. —garykmcd, edited by Chrid.