Wealthy, brilliant,
and meticulous Ted
Crawford, a
structural engineer
in Los Angeles,
shoots his wife and
entraps her lover.
He signs a
confession; at the
arraignment, he
asserts his rights
to represent himself
and asks the court
to move immediately
to trial. The
prosecutor is Willy
Beachum, a hotshot
who's soon to join a
fancy civil-law
firm, told by
everyone it's an
open and shut case.
Crawford sees
Beachum's weakness,
the hairline
fracture of his
character: Willy's a
winner. The engineer
sets in motion a
clockwork crime with
all the objects
moving in ways he
predicts.
Ted Crawford shoots
his unfaithful wife,
confesses to the
police - orally and
in writing - but
then pleads not
guilty and opts to
defend himself in
court. The young DA
assigned to the
case, Willy Beachum,
has had a successful
career with a 97%
conviction rate.
Beachum however is
actually on his way
to a lucrative
position in a big
private law firm,
but his desire to
win keeps him on the
case. What ensues is
a battle of wits
between the two as
Crawford
systematically
destroys his
opponents case.