A Civil Action (1998)

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:

During the phone conversation in the radio booth, a confused Schlictmann asks Anne Anderson, "Is this Rikki?" Rikki Klieman is a real-life lawyer and love interest of Schlictmann's in the novel.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the end of the movie when the woman comes out on her front porch and picks up the newspaper, she removes the rubber band and looks at the top half of the paper. In the next cut she is looking at the bottom half of the paper and in the very next cut she is looking at the top half again.

Quotes:

James Gordon: [Regarding the case and the following settlement] Mrs. Anderson, you're looking at four guys who are broke. We lost everything trying this case.
Anne Anderson: How can you even begin to compare what you've lost, to what we've lost.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

Little Drummer Boy

John Travolta, Conrad Hall Elevate This Nicely

On my first viewing of this, on VHS, I thought it okay but nothing special. I caught a break, being able to obtain the DVD for almost no cost, so I looked at it again. Wow, am I glad. I loved it the second time.

The DVD brings out the cinematography which is very, very good and the picture is razor-sharp. One of Hollywood''s Hall Of Fame photographers, Conrad Hall, shot this film. Story-wise, the courtroom scenes were the most dramatic of the film but this story dealt more with the behind-the-scenes digging of information to expose thoughtless businessmen who had dumped poison in an area and people were suffering because of it. It is supposedly-based on a true story.

Another big highlight of this movie is great performance by John Travolta, perhaps his best work ever. Just the pauses and looks on his face alone greatly enhanced his performance. He was just fascinating. Language-wise, this is pretty tame except for William H. Macy, who loses his cool a few times as the assistant lawyer/financial man for the law firm battling the polluters.

It's easy to get involved with the story, but don't overlook the great photography in here.