Criminal Law (1989): cast, story & where to watch
1989 · Film · ★ 5.5
Released in 1989, Criminal Law is a thriller, drama and romance film directed by Martin Campbell, running about 114 minutes.
What it’s about. A rising young attorney successfully defends a man accused of murder, only to have the same type of murder then happen again. Right away the previously defended man hires the attorney again, and although the attorney is quite certain that he is the killer, he agrees to again defend him... much to the consternation of his friends. However, he explains that by being his attorney he will be better able to catch the man in a mistake... and on this the rest of the film develops, with the killer playing a cat and mouse game with the attorney until, at last, they both must recognize that they are not all that different.
Who’s in it. Criminal Law stars Gary Oldman as Ben Chase, Kevin Bacon as Martin Thiel, Tess Harper as Detective Stillwell and Karen Young as Ellen Faulkner, among others.
How it landed. With an audience score of 5.5/10, Criminal Law has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response. It went on to earn $10M at the box office.
Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel and Philo and rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Criminal Law page.
If you liked it. Fans of Criminal Law tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, Pulp Fiction, Parasite and Fight Club.
Frequently asked
- Where can I watch Criminal Law (1989)?
- In US, Criminal Law is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV and MGM+ Amazon Channel, and rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Google Play Movies. Availability varies by country — check our where-to-watch page for every region.
- Is Criminal Law worth watching?
- Criminal Law holds an audience score of 5.5 out of 10, and is a strong pick if you enjoy thriller, drama and romance. Reactions are mixed, so it may depend on taste.
- Who stars in Criminal Law?
- Criminal Law stars Gary Oldman, Kevin Bacon, Tess Harper, Karen Young and Joe Don Baker.
- When was Criminal Law released?
- Criminal Law was released in 1989, with a runtime of about 114 minutes.