The Trials of Cate McCall

Last updated
The Trials of Cate McCall
The Trials of Cate McCall.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Karen Moncrieff
Written byKaren Moncrieff
Produced byEric Karten
Karen Moncrieff
Marc Bienstock
Peter Schafer
Starring Kate Beckinsale
Nick Nolte
Clancy Brown
CinematographyAntonio Calvache
Edited byToby Yates
Music byPeter Nashel
Production
companies
Pitbull Pictures
Sunrise Films
Distributed bySierra/Affinity
Release dates
  • November 28, 2013 (2013-11-28)(Hungary)
  • April 4, 2014 (2014-04-04)(United States)
Running time
89 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$0.25 million [2]

The Trials of Cate McCall is a 2013 American drama film directed and written by Karen Moncrieff and stars Kate Beckinsale, Nick Nolte and Clancy Brown in pivotal roles.

Contents

Plot

Cate McCall (Kate Beckinsale) is a lawyer, an alcoholic in recovery and on probation, and estranged from her family. In order to regain custody of her young daughter and be reinstated to the bar, she accepts the pro bono appeal of a woman, Lacey, who has been convicted of murder. Aided by her assistant, Cate pulls out all stops to prove Lacey's innocence, as well as work on her own alcohol and work addictions. Cate becomes obsessed with the case, neglecting arranged time with her daughter while she successfully gets Lacey's conviction overturned. When Cate finds out that Lacey is guilty, she starts drinking again, causing her to further neglect her daughter. Cate returns to her old job at a high-profile law firm, and purposefully torpedoes her own client's case in the middle of a trial. Cate then takes multiple illegal actions to put Lacey back in prison. Cate gives evidence to the prosecutor who can convict Lacey, then conspires with the prosecutor; the two of them agree to keep it a secret so that she won't be disbarred, which would deny him the ability to use the evidence that he should not have. Cate does not recuse herself from Lacey's trial though she does blackmail the original judge, who previously ruled in Lacey's favour, to recuse himself. The prosecutor, exercising prosecutorial misconduct, does not recuse himself from the case either. Cate's overt acts of fraud, conspiracy, blackmail and misconduct enable her to get Lacey re-convicted. Cate's reward for her illegal actions is to be granted shared custody of her daughter.

Cast

Production

The filming of The Trials of Cate McCall began on May 16, 2012, in Los Angeles. [3] [4]

Release

Distribution

The 2012 production was not released in the United States until 2014. In June 2012 Sierra/Affinity acquired the international distribution rights to the film. [5]

Box office

The Trials of Cate McCall performed poorly, showing total box office revenue, from foreign markets, of less than $250,000. [2]

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References

  1. "THE TRIALS OF CATE MCCALL". BBFC.
  2. 1 2 "The Trials of Cate McCall". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 2016-11-28.
  3. "Kate Beckinsale, Nick Nolte Start Work On 'The Trials Of Cate McCall'". deadline.com. 16 May 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  4. "The Trials of Cate McCall to Begin Filming Today". hollywood.com. 17 May 2012. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  5. "Sierra/Affinity Picks Up Global Sales For 'Cate McCall'". deadline.com. 26 June 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2013.