Criminal Justice 1990

Forest Whitaker portrays Jessie Williams, a seasoned detective who confronts a brutal case after a young prostitute is robbed and slashed in the vestibule of a building just after buying drugs. The victim, Denise Moore, is rushed to the police station, where investigators lay out photographs of felons and she identifies the attacker from the lineup, providing the crucial first link in a case that will pivot on credibility and memory.

Following the identification, the police arrest the suspect and charge him with aggravated robbery. At the arraignment, bail is set at an unaffordable amount, keeping him in custody. The defendant maintains his innocence in front of his public defender, Anthony LaPaglia as David Ringel, who resists any plea bargain, insisting that the system must test the strength of the evidence.

Meanwhile the District Attorney fights to make the most of the victim’s identification, even as concerns arise about whether Denise Moore was truthful about her reason for being in the building and about the reliability of her testimony given her drug lifestyle. Detective Riley, portrayed by Tony Todd, tracks the case’s progress as court appearances accumulate.

Inside the courtroom, Chuck Cooper as Judge Whitney presides as the trial approaches, and the tension centers on whether the witness’s account will hold up under scrutiny. When the trial date arrives, the defendant unexpectedly requests a plea bargain to stop the proceedings after catching sight of the complainant in the courtroom, urging his attorney to seek a faster resolution.

Ultimately, the defendant pleads guilty to both robbery and the slashing, and is sentenced to 3½ to 7 years in the penitentiary. From the differing perspectives of the complainant and the mother of the accused, the resolution feels unsatisfactory, underscoring a persistent gap between justice, memory, and consequence in a case built on a single pivotal identification.