William Kunstler was once called the most hated and most loved lawyer in America. Now there's a new documentary that attempts to explain exactly why that was, called "William Kunstler: Disturbing The Universe."

Written and directed by Kunstler's two daughters from his second marriage, the film makes a case that Kunstler's career can be divided into two distinct parts. In his glory days, through much of the 1960s and 1970s, he was front and center at some of the most landmark cases in the country.

He championed civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr. and defended the Chicago Seven, who were put on trial for disrupting the 1968 Democratic Convention.

He was the lawyer and negotiator for the inmates at Attica, who briefly took over that prison in 1971, and he was the attorney for the Native Americans at Wounded Knee.

But Kunstler, who died in 1995, changed directions in the last few decades of his life. Living in New York and basing his practice primarily in the city, he defended high-profile murderers, rapists. mobsters and terrorists.

Since Kunstler was their father, the filmmakers bring many personal touches to their portrait. They even present footage of themselves, from NY1, where they confront Kunstler about his questionable choice of cases that no one else would touch.

They also speak about their childhood and how Kunstler's career, which included death threats and wiretaps, deeply affected their lives.

A veritable who's who of prominent New Yorkers are also featured. Both friends and foes of Kunstler, they offer up their recollections of this polarizing attorney.

An argument is made by the filmmakers that Kunstler lost perspective and became addicted to fame, and that it no longer mattered to him who was right or wrong and that the fight against injustice was long gone.

Overall, at times, it's a fascinating look at this controversial attorney.

Neil Rosen's Big Apple Rating: 3 Apples