Steel Toes
In Montréal, Michael Downey is accused of the brutal beating of Vikram, a South Asian man who eventually succumbed to his injuries. The authorities believe it was a racially motivated beating as Mike is a neo-Nazi white supremacist skinhead. The public defendant assigned to his case is Danny Dunkelman, a Jew. Mike and Danny don't like what the other represents, but Mike knows that a person like Danny can only help his cause, while liberal Danny's conscience won't allow Mike, who he sees as an otherwise intelligent young man, go through the process without fair representation. As Danny and Mike go through their defense, Danny forces Mike to be an active participant in truly understanding what he did and why he did it. As such, Danny hopes to be a part of Mike's redemption. The case also profoundly affects Danny's personal life, not only in his outward relationships with family and friends, but how he functions within society as a human being.