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A Civil Action

starring: John Travolta, Robert Duvall, Tony Shalhoub, William H. Macy, Zeljko Ivanek
directed by: Steven Zaillian

: A Civil Action
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Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: DVD
Brand: TRAVOLTA,JOHN
EAN: 9786305428282
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
ISBN: 630542828X
Label: Walt Disney Video
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
Number Of Items: 1
Picture Format: Letterbox
Publisher: Walt Disney Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: July 13, 1999
Running Time: 115 minutes
Sales Rank: 10411
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Theatrical Release Date: January 08, 1999



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Editorial Review:

Description:
Jan Schlichtmann is a cynical, high-priced personal injury attorney who only takes big-money cases he can safely settle out of court. Though his latest case at first appears straightforward, Schlichtmann soon becomes entangled in an epic legal battle ... one where he's willing to put his career, reputation, and all that he owns on the line for the rights of his clients! Also featuring Robert Duvall, William H. Macy, and John Lithgow -- this gripping, widely acclaimed hit delivers edge-of-your-seat entertainment!

Amazon.com:
Jonathan Harr's nonfiction bestseller was a shot in the arm for those seeking more than last-minute heroics akin to a John Grisham thriller. Here was a labyrinthine case involving industrial pollution by two highly regarded corporations, contaminated drinking water, and the deaths of innocent children in New England, circa 1981. The case has hundreds of twists and takes our hero--a steady, respectable lawyer named Jan Schlichtmann--and turns his life into personal disaster. Instead of celebrating the law, the story is a maddening and rewarding look at the elusiveness of the courtroom case.

Steven Zaillian, who won an Oscar for adapting Schindler's List and directed Searching for Bobby Fischer, boils Harr's 502-page book into a complete, satisfactory film experience. Book readers will no doubt jeer the streamlining Zaillian had to perform to make the movie flow. Most changes can be quickly defused with the exception of the film's portrait of Schlichtmann. The lawyer has been turned into a movie star, an ultra-slick, cold-hearted gentleman who finds his purpose in working the case. Casting a stalwart John Travolta again diverges from the book, which right from the opening pages showed us a Schlichtmann with feet of clay. As Schlichtmann's partners (including William H. Macy and Tony Shalhoub) descend into the case, the unbridled sense of power and money is abandoned. This case is ultimately about survival.

Zaillian provides an excellent narrative for the sordid facts of personal injury suits, in which money is the only reward for lost or broken lives (deftly introduced in the film's opening scene). Zaillian also stays away from dwelling on the illness of the children involved, focusing on the gaunt faces of the parents who survive (Kathleen Quinlan, James Gandolfini) in controlled anguish. His evil characters--an industrial plant's owner (Dan Hedaya) and a corporate lawyer (another fine acting spin by director Sydney Pollack)--are so human it's terrifying. Zaillian's final ace in the hole is Oscar-nominee Robert Duvall. Perfectly cast as Travolta's opposition, Jerome Facher, Duvall steals scenes with the abbreviated dialogue; he turns a fancy settlement meeting into a farce with one line. Facher is not a callous, love-to-hate-him lawyer like James Mason in The Verdict. Facher represents the law at its brilliant foundation: to best represent one's client. With a taped-together briefcase and dry humor, Facher, not Schlichtmann, is the character who captures us by the film's end. --Doug Thomas



Customer Reviews
Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - I repeat >> snalen "snalen" .................
I copy and paste >> snalen "snalen" - (another reviewer's commentary here) who expressed it perfectly. ... Read More


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - Solid Flick with very pertinent material despite its age.
As a former resident of the Greater Boston area this was a film that evoked memories on a number of levels. ... Read More


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - A tort lawyer finds new meaning in life and goes down the path of righteous litigation; An underdog against the large corp
(1) A Civil Action is a 1998 film, starring John Travolta (as plaintiff's attorney Jan Schlichtmann) and Robert ... Read More


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - A page turner
A heart wrenching page turner! You will root for this guy all along. You will bite your nails, become invested ... Read More


Rating: 3 out of 5 stars - Far from great, but some great performances help keep the audience satisfied...
I'll be completely honest here. I saw `A Civil Action' because I am in love with James Gandolfini. Sadly his character ... Read More

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Copyright ©2003, Mark Carey.