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A Civil Action
***1/2
Cinema
Releases - April 9, 1999
Rated on a 4-star
scale. USA. Written and directed by Steven Zaillian; from the novel by Jonathan
Harr. Starring John Travolta, Robert Duvall, Tony Shalhoub, William H. Macy,
Zeljko Ivanek, Bruce Norris, John Lithgow, Kathleen
Quinlan.
Steven Zaillian was hired and fired by Paramount
Pictures as one of the early writers of "Primal Fear", a 1996 legal thriller
adapted from a best-selling novel. Although "Primal Fear" was still one of
its year's best films, I would have liked to see a version written by Zaillian,
whose credits include the brilliant "Schindler's List" and "Searching For
Bobby Fischer". Now Paramount have given him a similar opportunity, with
"A Civil Action", another big-budget lawyer flick adapted from
a best-seller.
The movie stars John Travolta as Jan Schlictmann,
a successful personal injury lawyer who dictates early on in the film that
when it comes to getting monetary settlements, "a dead child is worth the
least of all". Despite this rule of thumb, and the fact that personal injury
lawyers, who work on contingency, have to finance their cases themselves,
Schlictmann decides to take a gamble and handle a lawsuit involving the leukaemia
deaths of twelve children in a small Massachusetts town. The corporations
accused of causing the deaths, through negligent chemical dumping, are Beatrice
and Grace -- not well-known company names, perhaps, but big ones, that are
responsible for a lot of well-known products. Their deep pockets entice
Schlictmann, who knows that a win against them would result in a huge
pay-out.
Unfortunately for his professional instincts,
however, Jan gets emotionally involved in the case, and when he starts to
lose in the courtroom, he is too blind to notice, or take the out-of-court
settlement he's been offered. By the time he and his small firm -- which
is comprised of partner Kevin Conway (Tony Shalhoub) and financial adviser
John Gordon (William H. Macy) -- realise their mistakes, it could be too
late to accept any offer, and even if it isn't, will the families of the
children let them get away with that?
Both the book and the film of "A Civil Action"
declare they are "based on a true story". For once, these words are not used
as an excuse for boring or unconvincing plot developments, and in fact empower
every scene -- we really wonder what actually happened next, what
each person actually decided to do. The film's basic plot may not
be too dissimilar from a Grisham potboiler, but in the way the it's directed
-- through the use of resonant cutaways, intelligent dialogue and good dramatic
pacing -- we get the feeling that Zaillian really cares about the serious
issues involved. This does not make "A Civil Action" anything like "The Sweet
Hereafter", which used a similar premise to become an emotional masterwork,
but it ups the stakes in this legal movie, and makes the process itself more
interesting.
I also liked the fact that the film mixes a convincing
knowledge of the law with characters possessing human duality. Most films
in this genre manage only one of these two factors, but here, complex
performances are important to the feeling that we're watching real proceedings.
Travolta may not be perfectly cast as jaded attorney Jan, and does not make
this role his own, but still carries the film rather well, and I can't complain.
Shalhoub and Macy are intense and sympathetic as the men who believe in him,
and are brought down by his obsession. Kathleen Quinlan's work as a distraught
mother is comparable with her Oscar-nominated turn in "Apollo 13". Robert
Duvall, who was nominated for this film, is very interesting as the defence
counsel opposite Jan, a man sharp behind an eccentric facade, saying little
and knowing all. Unlike Travolta, Duvall settles into the part completely,
and makes it hard to imagine the character being played by anyone
else.
If there's a problem with "A Civil Action", it's
that Zaillian never finds a way to work the interesting drama into anything
with a bigger punch. It doesn't have the sweep of a truly great or important
film. What it does have is the presence of a solid and worthy one, as well
as my strong recommendation.
COPYRIGHT© 1999 Ian
Waldron-Mantgani
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