Name: A Civil Action
Director: Steven Zaillian
Genre: Drama
Released: 1998-12-25
Duration: 1 h 55 min
Cast: John Travolta, Robert Duvall, Tony Shalhoub, William H. Macy

Loading movie...

A Civil Action (1998)

Runtime115 min

Rating15

Your reaction:

Watchlist:

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.

Why you might like this:

John Travolta delivers a standout performance in this 1998 legal drama directed by Steven Zaillian, which follows a lawyer's obsessive quest to take on a complex case against all odds. The film's focus on the moral and ethical dilemmas of the legal system makes it a thought-provoking watch for fans of character-driven dramas.

Available on:

About

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, 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 film was produced by Touchstone Pictures, Paramount Pictures and Wildwood Enterprises, Inc and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution in the United States and Canada and by United International Pictures internationally. The film was released on December 25, 1998 to generally positive reviews, but was a box office failure as it grossed $56 million against a $75 million budget. Duvall was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.