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Courtroom dramas have long been a popular cinematic staple, and the 1990s saw this grow with everything from John Grisham's The Client to a television remake of 12 Angry Men. As if those weren't enough, Turner Network Television has also broken into the scene with Deadlocked, a somewhat unusual tale of judicial intrigue. Demond Doyle (Jo D. Jonz) has been convicted of murder in the first degree and now sits before a jury empanelled to sentence him to either life in prison or death. Demond's father, Jacob Doyle ( Charles Dutton) becomes the first person to come to his defence on the witness stand, pleading for his son's life. Blaming a corrupt judicial system, Doyle then makes his point just a bit more strongly by taking the jury and the deceased's husband hostage until his demands are met. Doyle asks the prosecutor, Ned Stark ( David Caruso), to prove his son innocent or he'll kill hostages. A SWAT team comes in to resolve the situation, but Stark asks for time to complete his investigation. Caruso, whose big break came in television's NYPD Blue, left the show to pursue a career in the movies. This is his first television appearance in three years, and it's clear that his career hasn't moved forward. His effective performance on NYPD Blue provided great hope for his career, but with numerous roles under his belt since then, we've seen his inability to play a range of roles. Deadlocked is no exception. Dutton, however, proves his skills time and time again, here delivering an affecting performance as the embittered father. One of television's most consistent actors, Dutton dominates the screen like few others can; he's a sure bet for Emmy consideration. Jonz is a featherweight next to his on-screen dad. His character's constant defiance of authority makes him less than sympathetic, despite the importance to the storyline that he not come off like an uncaring character. The remainder of the cast: the detective, lawyers, SWAT team commander and jurors are stereotypically banal. The film's opening credits are showy and pointless. The rest of the film plays unswervingly like a traditional movie made for television. The plot and pacing are standard, with a bonus for originality. There are times when the methods employed by Stark and the results he achieves are reminiscent of television's Law & Order, only without the surprise resolutions. We've seen courtroom dramas before and we've seen hostage movies, but never have they been mixed so effectively. Deadlocked is an intriguing film despite its many notable flaws. The creativity, mixed with Dutton's stellar performance, makes this an enjoyable television experience.