The screenplay, written by Barry Levinson (Diner) and Valerie Curtin (Unfaithfully Yours), attempts the difficult task of balancing zany comedy with incredibly serious plotlines about the struggle for survival within our legal system. It is a balance that more often than not succeeds, but not often enough to make this an outstanding film. One of the plotlines introduced has a client of Kirkland going insane after a case of mistaken identity ends up leading to trumped-up charges that keep him in jail. There is nothing whatsoever funny about it, and having that tale exist in the same film as a played for laughs one with Judge Rayford's half-hearted suicide attempts often gives one the impression that they are watching two films simultaneously with a few characters overlapping from one to the other.

Jewison has to do slightly too much juggling of plotlines here, and consequently some of the stories never get fully explored, like that of Kirkland and his grandfather Sam, who is played by Lee Strasberg. The film still manages to pack a punch and make one think about our legal system (it also got Pacino an Oscar nomination), but it still gives one the distinct feeling that it could have been more.

The DVD release features commentary by Jewison as well as Jewison and Levin discussing, separately, the different elements that went into creating the film. There are also deleted scenes (one of which has been added to the cut of the film that appears), the pilot episode of the FX series Damages, and a "sneak peek" at Pacino's upcoming theatrical release, 88 Minutes.

While …And Justice for All is not the best work of any of the great names involved in its production, it still stands as an above average work. Despite being almost 30 years old, its complaints about justice and the legal system in this country are just as valid (and depressing) today as they were at the time of its production.