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poster of A Civil Action
Rating: 6.4/10 by 429 users

A Civil Action (1998)

Jan Schlickmann is a cynical lawyer who goes out to 'get rid of' a case, only to find out it is potentially worth millions. The case becomes his obsession, to the extent that he is willing to give up everything—including his career and his clients' goals—in order to continue the case against all odds.

Directing:
  • Steven Zaillian
  • Jane Goldsmith
Writing:
  • Steven Zaillian
Stars:
Release Date: Fri, Dec 25, 1998

Rating: 6.4/10 by 429 users

Alternative Title:
Гражданский иск - RU
民事诉讼 - CN
公民行动 - CN
禁止的真相 - CN
A Qualquer Preço - BR
Civil Action, A - US

Country:
United States of America
Language:
English
Runtime: 01 hour 55 minutes
Budget: $70,000,000
Revenue: $56,709,981

Plot Keyword: right and justice, advancement, success, leukemia, lawyer, business start-up, legal drama
Subtitle   Wallpaper   Watch Trailer    

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
Mary Mara
Kathy Boyer
Denise Dowse
Judge Constance Mullen
Dan Hedaya
John Riley
David Thornton
Richard Aufiero
Margot Rose
Donna Robbins
Paul Desmond
Paul Shalline
Tracy Miller
Grace Worker
Paul Hewitt
Grace Worker
Clayton Landey
Grace Worker
Paul Ben-Victor
Bobby Pasqueriella
Elizabeth Burnette
Lauren Aufiero
Alan Wilder
Insurance Lawyer
Gregg Joseph Monk
Insurance Lawyer
Harout Beshlian
Insurance Lawyer
Josh Pais
Law Clerk
Haskell V. Anderson III
Courtroom #7 Clerk
Kaiulani Lee
Mrs. Granger
Howie Carr
Radio Talk Show Host
Christopher Stevenson
Insurance Plaintiff
Rikki Klieman
TV Reporter
David Barrett
Teenager on Property
Ryan Janis
Teenager on Property
Rob McElhenney
Teenager on Property
Michael Biase
Market Clerk
Richard Calnan
Woburn Traffic Cop
Gene Wolande
Hotel Clerk
Sam Travolta
Grace Attorney
Bruce Holman
Federal Marshall
Taylor Bernard
Trustee's Assistant
Kathy Bates
Bankruptcy Judge (uncredited)
Harry Dean Stanton
Land Watcher (uncredited)

CinemaSerf

Based on a true story, John Travolta portrays an ambulance chasing lawyer whose company takes 40% of any settlement they get for their clients following accidents in the workplace, or during surgery, or on the road etc. It's when he becomes aware of a clutch of leukaemia sufferers that he begins to suspect that a local tannery might be polluting the water supply with toxic chemicals. Now he is used to quick in and out judicial procedures, high profit low costs. This case is the reverse. He knows that to bring a civil suit against a large-scale entity is rife with risk and costs, but he convinces his colleagues to take it on. The opponents have hired the services of the experienced "Facher" (Robert Duvall) who knows exactly how to play the system. He is an expert at dragging things out and protracting the entire legal process until his antagonists run out of money, or maybe even the will to live. With the costs mounting and the court case showing no sign of concluding, he and his team face bankruptcy. Can they get a settlement in time? It's all a rather plodding drama with little by way of excitement to stimulate the attention. Sure, the atrocity is ghastly but the dramatisation of the scenario surrounding it is rather exemplified by a rather weak contribution from Stephen Fry as the geology guru and an over-cooked contribution from William H. Macy as his increasingly frustrated partner. Duvall does the cynical and exploitative lawyer pretty well, but he doesn't really feature enough to enliven this and at almost two hours long, it's really just a showcase for Travolta and not much of one at that. Essentially it's a watchable enough television movie that shines quite a powerful light on the injustice of the American justice system, but that's about it.


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