Fantastic!

The acting in this movie is really good.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

This was the best legal show that Hollywood ever produced, what real courtroom fighting is all about, it was closest to reality that TV show can be. You wont find black & white picture of the life in and around the court in this one, where good guys, relying on "the Law", tough but impartial and objective judge and honest infallible jurors always win, instead you will be hit with reality and dirty nature of the courtroom, procedures, and petty little personal agendas and vanity. You wont see "the Law" as ultimate, unmistakable, perfect, God given, instead you will be presented with sort of law-market where lawyers on the both side of aisle sell and buy, you wont meet knights in shiny armors on "peoples" side, nor on the side of defense, especially not on the bench, but marketeers and traders in a dirty trade we call Law - so, forget the fantasies like Law & Order (although another first grade show), The Practice, LA Law, especially Boston Legal or Fairly Legal, not to mention Ally McBull(sh.t), etc. Stories are mostly simple every day life stories, real and very interesting, the plot solid, acting mostly solid....It's a shame it was canceled ! To me it's a complete mystery why viewers actually rejected it, something so different that breaks every cliché ?! Unbelievable .... 10 of 10

What a shame that Raising the Bar was canceled after the second season! It is by the far the most nuanced, well-written legal show I've ever seen. Most shows in its genre pander to the fantasy that the world is divided into good and evil, where the bad guys are cunning and unremorseful and the good guys are always law enforcement. Raising the Bar is one of the few shows that show the defense side, but it doesn't do that at the expense of the prosecution side. Even the show's initial villains are rehabilitated as complicated, nuanced characters. As a lawyer, I can vouch for how close the show gets to reality (except for how attractive and well-dressed the characters are, of course!) it is also incredibly entertaining without sacrificing its complexity. I can't say enough good things about this show - I actually shelled out money to buy the DVDs, which I almost never do. Highly recommend!

The first season was OK, but the second season sparkles. The stories are solid, with usually three or four sub-plots that wrap up during the episode, plus the continuing story arcs regarding the major characters. Gosselar continues and improves upon his work in NYPD Blue. Gloria Reuben is her usual solid self. Jonathan Scarfe was a surprise to me, having never seen him before, while Currie Graham plays his usual sour but solid guy.I'm less taken with Jane Kazmarek, whose character is neither nice nor nasty enough to be a treat. The supporting characters beyond those mentioned above all do an adequate or better job, with the two female attorneys -- one for the DA's office and the other for the Public Defender's -- provide eye-candy and do a good job.The fact that New York City has no Public Defender's office, with that role taken by the Legal Aid Society, seems an odd twist on reality to have taken, given that using the proper group would not seem to have changed the show at all.All in all, I look forward to each episode.

After viewing DVD 1 of Season One, I wanted solid stories with solid acting. What I found left me wanting my time and rental fee back. The story lines are shallow. There is no richness to them. The only solid acting comes from the ER co-stars Reubens and Scarfe, with the right writers they could work it out. Kaczmarek needs better writing or a better vehicle and something done with her hair. Speaking of "hair", Gosselaar needs his hair washed and cut.... oh, the biggie, acting classes (and not the one he is currently in). Zach Morris isn't charming high schoolers anymore.If you want a good show (quality writing and acting) watch "The Practice" on Hulu, check out Boston Legal or LA Law. Or how about Matlock?