The Defenders: Taking the First

This third feature-length spin-off from the 1960s US TV series continues the small-screen version's tradition of tackling big issues. Original star EG Marshall returns for a cameo, but it's the uncle-niece team of Beau Bridges and Martha Plimpton that takes centre stage for a tale of racial hatred on a college campus. After defending one of four racist students on a charge of murder, the lawyers are then hired by the victim's family to go after the white supremacist (played by Philip Casnoff) whose speech incited the killers. Exploring a controversial issue - the consequences of free speech - with a degree of intelligence, this makes for thought-provoking, if not particularly exciting, viewing.