Guilty as Sin MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +2 1/2 Content: -2 1/2

Rebecca De Mornay plays Jennifer Haines, a successful criminal attorney with a ruthless track record of wins. She agrees to defend the arrogant playboy David Greenhill (Don Johnson) who is accused of brutally murdering his wife. Along the way, however, Jennifer discovers that David may not be as innocent as he claims. She is drawn further in by David's manipulations, and soon Jennifer is trapped into defending a man she knows is guilty. Her old friend Moe (Jack Warden), a private investigator, may be able to uncover enough about David's past to help her before it's too late. The cat and mouse game between David and Jennifer continues throughout the movie, but not enough to keep the audience guessing. Don Johnson is not nearly menacing enough as a murderer, and Rebecca De Mornay too quickly turns to jello to be convincing as a tough criminal attorney. GUILTY AS SIN has all the elements of a good courtroom thriller, but it never comes together.

With many obscenities and some profanity, the film is clearly guilty when it comes to objectionable language. Unnecessarily violent scenes include a man being beaten, kicked and repeatedly pistol-whipped. The climactic scene is very gory and shows blood pooling up on the pavement. GUILTY AS SIN includes one scene of implied intercourse with no nudity. There are a few references to sexual intercourse but, surprisingly, no further sexually motivated scenes. In fact, compared to most rated R adult-theme movies today, GUILTY AS SIN is fairly mild. This should not be an encouragement to see the film, however. The offensive language and excessive violence hurt rather than add to the plot. GUILTY AS SIN should earn a strong sentence with no chance of parole.

Preview Reviewer: Greg Wilson
Distributor: Buena Vista Distribution, 3900 W. Alameda Ave., Burbank, CA 91521