Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Physical Evidence

Play trailer Poster for Physical Evidence R 1989 1h 39m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
22% Tomatometer 18 Reviews 16% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
A debutante public defender (Theresa Russell) takes the case of a police detective (Burt Reynolds) suspected of murder.
Watch on Fandango at Home Stream Now

Where to Watch

Physical Evidence

Critics Reviews

View More
Variety Staff Variety 11/05/2008
So choppily assembled none of the various clues and innumerable suspects ever seem to lead anywhere. Go to Full Review
Derek Adams Time Out 02/09/2006
The case is crazy with clues, fights, new characters who fail to detain the attention, and all-important tapes containing something or other. The resolution is rubbish. Go to Full Review
Janet Maslin New York Times 05/20/2003
Mr. Reynolds has appeared in a long string of stinkers in recent years, but this time, the trouble isn't his fault. Go to Full Review
Richard Freedman Newhouse News Service 06/08/2016
The many cliche elements in Physical Evidence are whipped into some semblance of new life. Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 09/05/2015
B-
An ill-served courtroom drama under the uneven direction of author-turned-director Michael Crichton. Go to Full Review
TV Guide 11/05/2008
3/4
Reynolds' work is top-flight, making it all the more a shame that this vastly underrated film was a flop as a theatrical release. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Steve D 02/27/2023 Not Jagged Edge, but not bad either. See more 05/20/2020 Considering this had roughly the same budget as "Born on the Fourth of July", which had been released the same year, it's pretty much the definition of a waste of money. The plotline could at best have served as a basis for a (still middle-of-the-road) Matlock episode and everything just feels lacklustre and cliché-ridden. See more 05/02/2015 Physical Evidence does a good job of keeping you guessing... but that's mostly because there is very little connection given in the film that would lead one to figuring out the whole who dunnit portion. But you do get Burt Reynolds and Theresa Russell in a Michael Crichton flick so it's not all bad. But as far as who dunnits are concerned, Physical Evidence contains very little of the title items, contains a lot of evidence that is mentioned only briefly but never really revealed, lots of teasing with little payoff, and does most the things wrong which would normally make a mystery film work. Guess Physical Evidence figured the physical presence of Reynolds and Russell were all the evidence audiences needed... unfortunately... case dismissed. See more 09/29/2013 Although Critically Panned & A Box-Office Bomb, Reynolds' & Russell's Performances Makes This Film An Enjoyable Crime Thriller See more 10/27/2012 A bit of a convoluted story has Burt as a drunk and suspended cop up on a murder rap with a snooty young female defense attorney who sort of hates him but sort of likes him too. Should have been better. See more 01/02/2011 Burt Reynolds as always... I've seen better, I've seen worse... See more Read all reviews
Physical Evidence

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
True Believer 96% 63% True Believer Watchlist Rent-A-Cop 0% 18% Rent-A-Cop Watchlist Against All Odds 64% 46% Against All Odds Watchlist Cisco Pike 100% 61% Cisco Pike Watchlist Dolores Claiborne 86% 82% Dolores Claiborne Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis A debutante public defender (Theresa Russell) takes the case of a police detective (Burt Reynolds) suspected of murder.
Director
Michael Crichton
Producer
Martin Ransohoff
Screenwriter
Bill Phillips
Production Co
Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating
R
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$3.5M
Runtime
1h 39m
Sound Mix
Stereo, Surround
Most Popular at Home Now