''Penalty Phase'' is a 1986 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

thriller

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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Tony Richardson Cecil Antonio Richardson (5 June 1928 – 14 November 1991) was an English theatre and film director, producer and screenwriter, whose career spanned five decades. He was identified with the "angry young men" group of British directors and play ...

and starring

Peter Strauss Peter Lawrence Strauss (born February 20, 1947) is an American television and film actor, known for his roles in several television miniseries in the 1970s and 1980s. He is an Emmy winner and five-time Golden Globe Awards nominee. Early life S ...

Plot

Supreme court judge, Kenneth Hoffman (Peter Strauss) oversees a high-profile murder trial which appears to be an open-and-shut case. The murderer has confessed and Prosecutor Susan Jansen (Jonelle Allen) is direct and hard hitting, and the jury has delivered a guilty verdict. However, Judge Hoffman discovers that the evidence was not legally obtained, and for him to reject it and the trial outcome may have consequences for his career.

Cast

as Judge Kenneth Hoffman * Jonelle Allen as Susan Jansen * Karen Austin as Julie *

Melissa Gilbert Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1964) is an American actress. Gilbert began her career as a child actress in the late 1960s, appearing in numerous commercials and guest-starring roles on television. From 1974 to 1983, she starred as Laura Ing ...

as Leah Furman *

Mitchell Ryan Mitchell Ryan (January 11, 1934 – March 4, 2022) was an American actor. His six decades of television credits, he is best known for playing Burke Devlin in the 1960s gothic subculture, gothic soap opera ''Dark Shadows'', and later for his co- ...

as Judge Donald Faulkner * Jane Badler as Katie Pinter * John Harkins as Mr. Hunter *

Millie Perkins Millie Perkins (born May 12, 1936) is an American retired model and film and television actress known for her debut film role as Anne Frank in ''The Diary of Anne Frank (1959 film), The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959), and for her supporting actre ...

as Nancy Faulkner * Richard Bright as Judge Von Karman *

Richard Chaves Richard Chaves ( '; born October 9, 1951) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Poncho in the science fiction film ''Predator'' and as Lieutenant Colonel Ironhorse in the television series '' War of the Worlds''. Early lif ...

as Nolan Esherman * Rossie Harris as Zach Hoffman *

Art LaFleur Art LaFleur (September 9, 1943 – November 17, 2021) was an American character actor and acting coach. Life and career LaFleur was born in Gary, Indiana. He played football in 1962 as a redshirt at the University of Kentucky under Coach Charli ...

as Pete Pavlovich

References

External links

* 1986 television films 1986 films 1980s English-language films CBS films Films directed by Tony Richardson Films scored by Ralph Burns New World Pictures films 1986 thriller films American thriller television films American drama television films 1980s American films English-language thriller films {{US-tv-thriller-film-stub