A touch of evil

A liberal-humanist movie about a liberal-humanist lawyer (David Strathairn) who defends a skinhead accused of homicide, Steel Toes probably belongs in a classroom somewhere. It's adapted from a play, and it still feels like one of those teleplays from the Golden Age of Television, where ideological opposites attract. But the movie has its moments. And in its own earnest way, it delves into the nature of evil - what turns us to the dark side and what we should do with those who have already turned. I didn't really believe Andrew Walker as a dues-paying member of the Aryan Nation; the rage just isn't there. (Where's Daniel Day-Lewis when you need him?) But Strathairn brings stoic dignity to a man whose liberal-humanist principles and commitment to his Jewish heritage are tested to the very limit. For the lawyer, getting the skinhead to confront his demons is like taking a steel-toe boot to the gut.