''Mistrial'' is a 1996

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

written and directed by

Heywood Gould Heywood Gould is an American screenwriter, journalist, novelist and film director. He has penned screenplays for the films '' Rolling Thunder'', '' The Boys from Brazil'', ''Fort Apache, The Bronx'', '' Streets of Gold'', '' Cocktail'' and dire ...

and starring

Bill Pullman William Pullman (born December 17, 1953) is an American actor. After graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater, he was an adjunct professor at Montana State University before deciding to pursue acting. He made his film debut in ''R ...

, Jon Seda, and

Robert Loggia Salvatore "Robert" Loggia ( , ; January 3, 1930 – December 4, 2015) was an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for '' Jagged Edge'' (1985) and won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for ...

. The film aired on

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

Plot

After community activist Eddie Rios (Seda), charged with the murder of two NYPD officers, one of them his ex-wife, is found not guilty due to legal technicalities, arresting detective Steve Donohue (Pullman) takes the judge, jury, and Rios hostage, and decides to have a new trial, presenting evidence that was not previously allowed. His captain Lou Unger (Loggia) tries to convince Donohue to end his hostage taking peaceably.

Cast

as Steve Donohue *

as Captain Lou Unger * Jon Seda as Eddie Rios *

Blair Underwood Blair Erwin Underwood (born August 25, 1964) is an American actor. He made his debut in the 1985 musical film ''Krush Groove'' and from 1987 to 1994 starred as attorney Jonathan Rollins in the NBC legal drama series ''L.A. Law''. Underwood has a ...

as Lieutenant C. Hodges *

Casey Siemaszko Kazimierz Andrew "Casey" Siemaszko (; born March 17, 1961) is an American actor. Personal life Siemaszko was born in Chicago and grew up on the city's northwest side. He attended Saint Ignatius College Preparatory School and graduated from the ...

as Detective Bobby Zito *

Leo Burmester Bernard Leo Burmester (February 1, 1945 – June 28, 2007) was an American actor. Burmester worked for director John Sayles several times, including in ''Passion Fish'' (1992) and '' Lone Star'' (1996), and also for directors such as John Schl ...

as Commissioner Russell Crane *

Roma Maffia Roma Maffia is an American actress. Life and career Roma Maffia grew up in Brooklyn, New York and is of English, German and West Indian descent. Her Italian surname reportedly comes from her stepfather. Maffia began her official acting career ...

as Laurie Meisinger *

James Rebhorn James Robert Rebhorn (September 1, 1948 – March 21, 2014) was an American character actor who appeared in over 100 films, television series, and plays. At the time of his death, he had recurring roles in the series '' White Collar'' and ''Hom ...

as Mayor Taylor *

Christina Cox Christina Cox (born July 31, 1971) is a Canadian film and television actress and stuntwoman. Early life Christina Cox was born in a town on the outskirts of Toronto, the youngest of three daughters. She is Canadian of Caribbean (Jamaican) descen ...

as Officer Ida Cruz *

Josef Sommer Maximilian Josef Sommer (born June 26, 1934) is a retired German-American stage, television, and film actor. Early life He was born in Greifswald, Germany, and raised in North Carolina, the son of Elisabeth and Clemens Sommer, a professor of Art ...

as Nick Mirsky *

Penny Crone Barbara Penny Crone Forney (born 1950 in New York City) is a former American television and radio reporter, media personality, and current real estate broker for the Douglas Elliman real estate company in New York. Career Born in New York to Haro ...

as Reporter

Background

Although the film was shot principally in Canada, the NYPD and other NYC sources were credited with assisting and advising.

Sources

* * *https://www.variety.com/profiles/TVMOW/main/55385/Mistrial.html?dataSet=1 1996 drama films 1996 films HBO Films films Films about hostage takings American courtroom films Films scored by Brad Fiedel American drama television films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films {{1990s-drama-film-stub