A Civil Action (1998)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Steven Zaillian

Writers (WGA):

Jonathan Harr (book)
Steven Zaillian (screenplay)

Release Date:

8 January 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Justice has its price.

Plot:

The families of children who died sue two companies for dumping toxic waste: a tort so expensive to prove, the case could bankrupt their lawyer.

Plot Keywords:

Lawyer | Leukemia | Lawsuit | Settlement | Toxic Waste

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

John Travolta	...	Jan Schlichtmann
Robert Duvall	...	Jerome Facher
Tony Shalhoub	...	Kevin Conway
William H. Macy	...	James Gordon
Zeljko Ivanek	...	Bill Crowley
Bruce Norris	...	William Cheeseman
John Lithgow	...	Judge Walter J. Skinner
Kathleen Quinlan	...	Anne Anderson
Peter Jacobson	...	Neil Jacobs
Mary Mara	...	Kathy Boyer
James Gandolfini	...	Al Love
Stephen Fry	...	Pinder
Dan Hedaya	...	John Riley
David Thornton	...	Richard Aufiero
Sydney Pollack	...	Al Eustis

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some strong language.

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #36309) | Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M (original rating) | Australia:PG (TV rating) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Norway:7 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Beacon Hill, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

Steven Zaillian adapted the screenplay with nobody else but 'Robert Duvall (I)' in mind for the role of Jerome Facher.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the meeting in the hotel where Jan asks for $300+ million, Cheeseman begins calculating the figures on a pad of paper with his left hand. A cut to an over-the-shoulder shot shows him writing the figures with his right hand.

Quotes:

Jan Schlichtmann: The odds of a plaintiff's lawyer winning in civil court are two to one against. Think about that for a second. Your odds of surviving a game of Russian roulette are better than winning a case at trial. 12 times better. So why does anyone do it? They don't...

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 56th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1999) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Little Drummer Boy

Travolta shines in well written fare

Starting the film as the traditional stereotypical lowlife lawyer, John Travolta is actually superb as his character develops into someone who actually cares about his clients, and about people other than himself.

Robert Duvall is excellent as his opposing counsel, and his character's interplay in the courtroom drama with Travolta is worth seeing the film for alone. Duvall plays quirky characters like few else in modern cinema.

Given the job of prosecuting a tannery over water pollution that has led to the death of many children, this is well written and structured - as well as being brilliantly acted and well directed.

The one complaint I would have is that this petered out a little in the finish, which was perhaps inevitable as it's a true story, and sometimes the climax of real life isn't as good as in fiction.