Defenseless
Directed by	Martin Campbell
Written by	James Hicks
Produced by	Renée Missel and David Bombek
Starring	Barbara Hershey Sam Shepard Mary Beth Hurt J. T. Walsh
Cinematography	Phil Meheux
Edited by	Chris Wimble Lou Lombardo (supervising editor)
Music by	Curt Sobel
Production company	New Visions Pictures
Distributed by	Seven Arts (through New Line Cinema)
Release date	August 23, 1991 (1991-08-23)
Running time	104 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$6,413,375 (USA)

Defenseless is a 1991 legal thriller film directed by Martin Campbell and produced by Renée Missel and David Bombek.

Plot

Lawyer Thelma 'T.K.' Knudsen Katwuller represents Steven Seldes - who is accused of involvement in making underage porn movies, though he claims innocence - and he is also her lover. When T.K. meets Steven's wife Ellie things turn awkward, as the two women had been college roommates. When T.K. subsequently confronts Steven at his office, a fight ensues in which she injures him with a letter opener. When T.K. returns later on, she finds Steven dead with multiple stab wounds. Upon finding Ellie's sweater at the crime scene, the police arrest her for the murder and T.K. agrees to defend her.

Cast

• Barbara Hershey as Thelma "T.K." Katwuller
• Sam Shepard as Detective Beutel
• J.T. Walsh as Steven Seldes
• Mary Beth Hurt as Ellie Seldes
• Sheree North as Mrs. Bodeck
• George P. Wilbur as Sherman Bodeck

Home media

Defenseless was released on VHS by Live Home Video and around the same time in Canada by Cineplex Odeon. A TV edit of the film was released on DVD in 2002 by Platinum Disc. A widescreen unedited DVD was released in Japan by Universal Studios Home Entertainment, under license from StudioCanal, in 2007.