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The Star Chamber

1983 · 105 min

A tense, morally charged thriller that follows an idealistic judge's disillusionment as he confronts a secretive system of vigilante justice.

Directed by
Peter Hyams
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Tagline
They meet. They judge. They execute.
Overview
As violence escalates in Los Angeles and heinous murders are committed, Steven Hardin, a young judge of the California Supreme Court, must struggle with his tortured conscience and growing despair as he watches helplessly as the ruthless criminals brought before his court go free because clever lawyers find obscure loopholes in the law.

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Directed by
Peter Hyams
Genres
Drama, Thriller
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • tensestrength 3 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • justice
  • morality
  • corruption
  • guilt
  • power
Places
  • big city
  • workplace
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • single location
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action4
Horror2
Humour1
Realism8
Romance1
Tension7
Darkness7
Complexity6
Emotional weight7

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Cast

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Details

Genres
drama, thriller
Directed by
Peter Hyams
Written by
Peter Hyams, Roderick Taylor
Starring
Michael Douglas, Hal Holbrook, Yaphet Kotto, Sharon Gless, James B. Sikking, Joe Regalbuto, Don Calfa, John DiSanti
Music
Michael Small
Cinematography
Richard Hannah
Runtime
105 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

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