A Civil Action is a 1998 American legal drama film directed and written by Steven Zaillian and starring John Travolta with Robert Duvall, James Gandolfini, Dan Hedaya, John Lithgow, William H. Macy, Kathleen Quinlan, and Tony Shalhoub. Based on the 1995 book by Jonathan Harr, it tells the true story of a court case about environmental pollution that took place in Woburn, Massachusetts in the 1980s. The film and court case revolve around the issue of trichloroethylene, an industrial solvent, and its contamination of a local aquifer. A lawsuit was filed over industrial operations that appeared to have caused fatal cases of leukemia and cancer, as well as a wide variety of other health problems, among the citizens of the city. The case involved is Anne Anderson, et al., v. Cryovac, Inc., et al.. The first reported decision in the case is at 96 F.R.D. 431 (denial of defendants' motion to dismiss). Duvall was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.
| A Civil Action | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Steven Zaillian |
| Written by | Steven Zaillian |
| Based on | A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Conrad L. Hall |
| Edited by | Wayne Wahrman |
| Music by | Danny Elfman |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 115 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $75 million |
| Box office | $56 million |
Plot
editEnvironmental toxicants in the city of Woburn, Massachusetts, contaminate the area's water supply and become linked to a number of deaths of local children. Cocky Boston attorney Jan Schlichtmann and his small firm of personal injury lawyers are asked by Woburn resident Anne Anderson to take legal action against those responsible. After originally rejecting a seemingly unprofitable case, Jan finds a major environmental issue involving groundwater contamination that has great legal potential and realizes the local tanneries could be responsible for several deadly cases of leukemia. Jan decides to go forward against two giant corporations that own the tanneries—Beatrice Foods and W. R. Grace and Company—thinking the case could possibly earn him millions of dollars and boost his firm's reputation.
Bringing a class action lawsuit in federal court, Jan represents families who demand an apology and a clean up of contaminated areas. However, the case develops a life of its own and takes over the lives of Jan and his firm. The lawyers for Beatrice and Grace are not easy to intimidate, a judge makes a key ruling against the plaintiffs, and soon Jan and his partners find themselves in a position where their professional and financial survival has been staked on the outcome of the case. Jan stubbornly declines settlement offers, gradually coming to believe the case is about more than just money. He allows his pride to take over, making outrageous demands and deciding he must win at all costs. Pressures take their toll, with Jan and his partners going deeply into debt.
After a lengthy trial, the jury returns a verdict in favor of Beatrice after Jan turned down an offer of $20 million from Beatrice attorney Jerry Facher during jury deliberations. The plaintiffs are forced to accept a settlement with Grace that barely covers the expense involved in trying the case, leaving Jan and his partners broke. The families are deeply disappointed, and Jan's partners dissolve their partnership, effectively breaking up the firm. Jan ends up alone, living in a small apartment and running a small-time law practice. He manages to find the last key witness to the case but lacks resources and courage to appeal the judgment. The files are archived while Jan later files for bankruptcy.
A postscript reveals the EPA, building on Jan's work on the case, later brought its own enforcement action against Beatrice and Grace, forcing them to pay millions to clean up the land and the groundwater. It takes Jan several years to settle his debts, and he now practices environmental law in New Jersey.
Cast
edit- John Travolta as Jan Schlichtmann
- Robert Duvall as Jerry Facher
- William H. Macy as James Gordon
- Tony Shalhoub as Kevin Conway
- Kathleen Quinlan as Anne Anderson
- Željko Ivanek as Bill Crowley
- Bruce Norris as William Cheeseman
- Peter Jacobson as Neil Jacobs
- John Lithgow as Judge Walter J. Skinner
- Dan Hedaya as John Riley
- James Gandolfini as Al Love
- Stephen Fry as Dr. George F. Pinder
- Sydney Pollack as Al Eustis
- David Thornton as Richard Aufiero
- Jay Patterson as Geologist
- Daniel von Bargen as Mr. Granger
- Paul Ben-Victor as Bobby Pasqueriella
- Ned Eisenberg as Uncle Pete
- Mary Mara as Kathy Boyer
- Denise Dowse as Judge Constance Mullen
Kathy Bates appears in an uncredited cameo in the final scene as the judge overseeing Jan's bankruptcy hearing.
Filming
editThe movie was shot in Boston, Massachusetts; Dedham, Massachusetts; Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts; Waltham, Massachusetts; Northbridge, Massachusetts; Palmer, Massachusetts; Fenway Park; Boston Public Garden; and Beacon Hill, Boston.[1] The casting company hired many factory workers as extras for the film.[2]
Release
editBox office
editDespite showing promise on its initial limited release,[3] A Civil Action was a box office failure on wide release, earning a domestic gross of $56 million against its $75 million budget. The film was released in competition with a number of films that became hits, earning between $120 and $290 million each, including Shakespeare in Love, The Prince of Egypt, Star Trek: Insurrection, You've Got Mail, Stepmom and Patch Adams.
Reception
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2019) |
On Rotten Tomatoes, A Civil Action has an approval rating of 63% based on reviews from 72 critics. The site's consensus called the film "Intelligent and unconventional."[4] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 68 out of 100, based on reviews from 26 critics.[5] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade B on scale of A to F.[6]
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three and a half out of four stars and wrote: "Civil Action is like John Grisham for grownups."[7]
References
edit- ^ "A CIVIL ACTION (1998)". NewEnglandFilm.com. 15 May 2008. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ Graves, Amy (22 Jun 2000). "Your 15 seconds of fame". Newspapers.com. The Boston Globe. p. 11 - Calendar. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
- ^ Welkos, Robert W. (1998-12-29). "'Patch Adams' Just What Holiday Ordered". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-06-07.
- ^ "A Civil Action". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
- ^ "A Civil Action". Metacritic.
- ^ "Cinemascore". Archived from the original on 2018-12-20. Retrieved 2019-09-02.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (January 8, 1999). "A Civil Action movie review & film summary (1999)". Chicago Sun-Times.
External links
edit- A Civil Action at IMDb
- A Civil Action at AllMovie
- A Civil Action at the TCM Movie Database
- A Civil Action at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- A Civil Action at Box Office Mojo
- A Civil Action: Before the book and before the film (early newspaper articles by reporter Charles C. Ryan)
- Beyond A Civil Action hosted by W. R. Grace & Co.
- In Toxic Tort Litigation, Truth Lies at the Bottom of a Bottomless Pit by Eric Asimow, Picturing Justice: The On-Line Journal of Law & Popular Culture, February 1999
- Anderson v. Beatrice Foods Index and copies of every pleading filed in the Woburn suit, maintained by Florida State University College of Law