'' Defenseless'' is a 1991 legal thriller film directed by Martin Campbell and produced by

Renée Missel Renee C. Missel (born 1947) is a Canadian-born film producer and former photojournalist who has been active since the 1970s. She is a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Motion Picture Academy, and serves as a judge f ...

and David Bombek.

Plot

Lawyer Thelma 'T.K.' Knudsen Katwuller represents Steven Seldes - who is accused of involvement in making underage porn movies, though he claims innocence - and he is also her lover. When T.K. meets Steven's wife Ellie things turn awkward, as the two women had been college roommates. When T.K. subsequently confronts Steven at his office, a fight ensues in which she injures him with a letter opener. When T.K. returns later on, she finds Steven dead with multiple stab wounds. Upon finding Ellie's sweater at the crime scene, the police arrest her for the murder and T.K. agrees to defend her.

Cast

* Barbara Hershey as Thelma "T.K." Katwuller * Sam Shepard as Detective Beutel *

J.T. Walsh James Thomas Patrick Walsh (September 28, 1943 – February 27, 1998) was an American character actor. His many films include ''Tin Men'' (1987), ''Good Morning, Vietnam'' (1987), ''A Few Good Men'' (1992), '' Hoffa'' (1992), ''Nixon'' (1995), ' ...

as Steven Seldes * Mary Beth Hurt as Ellie Seldes * Sheree North as Mrs. Bodeck *

George P. Wilbur George Peter Wilbur (March 6, 1941 – February 1, 2023) was an American actor and professional stuntman, best known for playing Michael Myers (Halloween), Michael Myers in both ''Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers'' and ''Halloween 6: The ...

as Sherman Bodeck

Home media

''Defenseless'' was released on VHS by

Live Home Video Artisan Entertainment (formerly known as U.S.A. Home Video, International Video Entertainment (IVE) and LIVE Entertainment) was an American film studio and home video company. It was considered one of the largest mini-major film studios until ...

and around the same time in Canada by

Cineplex Odeon Cineplex Inc. (formerly Cineplex Galaxy) is a Canadian movie theatre and family entertainment centre chain headquartered in Toronto. The company was formed in 2003 via the acquisition of Loews Cineplex's Canadian operations (which included t ...

. A TV edit of the film was released on DVD in 2002 by Platinum Disc. A widescreen unedited DVD was released in Japan by Universal Studios Home Entertainment, under license from StudioCanal, in 2007.

External links

* * * 1991 films Films directed by Martin Campbell 1991 thriller films Films about lawyers Films about murder American courtroom films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films {{1990s-thriller-film-stub