A Civil Action is an American drama law 1998 directed by Steven Zaillian and starring John Travolta (as plaintiff lawyer Jan Schlichtmann) and Robert Duvall, and it is based on a book with the same name by Jonathan Harr. Both the book and the film are based on the true story of the court case on environmental pollution that took place in Woburn, Massachusetts, in the 1980s. Film and court cases revolve around the issue of trichlorethylene, industrial solvents, and contamination from local aquifers. The lawsuit was filed for an industrial operation that appears to have led to cases of leukemia and fatal cancer, as well as various other health problems, among the townspeople. The cases involved were Anne Anderson, et al., V. Cryovac, Inc., et al. . The first decision reported in this case was 96 F.R.D. 431 (refusal of the accused's movement to dismiss). Duvall was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance.
Video A Civil Action (film)
Plot
Environmental toxins in the city of Woburn, Massachusetts pollute the water supply in the area, and become associated with a number of deaths of neighboring children. Jan Schlichtmann (John Travolta), a pompous and successful Boston lawyer who circled the city on his Porsche, and his personal injury law firm was asked by Woburn's Anne Anderson (Kathleen Quinlan) to take legal action against those responsible.
After initially dismissing a seemingly unfavorable case, Jan discovers a major environmental problem involving potentially enormous potential groundwater pollution and several defendants with deep pockets. Local tannery can be responsible for some cases of deadly leukemia, but also the main employer for the area. Jan decides to go up against two giant companies (real-life companies Beatrice Foods and W. R. Grace and Company) with links to tanneries, thinking that the case might generate millions, as well as enhance the company's reputation and is big enough.
Carrying a class action lawsuit in federal court, Jan represents a family demanding cleansing of contaminated areas and apologies. However, the case developed his own life and took over the lives of Jan and his company. The lawyers for the tanner company are not easy to intimidate, the judge (John Lithgow) makes key decisions against the plaintiff, and soon Jan and his colleagues find themselves in a position where their professional and financial survival has been lurked on the outcome of the case.
Jan stubbornly refuses settlement offerings, gradually coming to believe that his case is more than just money. He allows his pride to take over, make excessive demands and decides that he must win by all means. Pressure took their toll, with Jan and his partners tangled in debt. After a lengthy trial, the case was rejected for Beatrice, Jan for refusing a $ 20 million offer from Beatrice's attorney Jerry Facher (Robert Duvall) while the jury was in negotiations. The plaintiffs were forced to accept a settlement with Grace that barely covered the costs involved in trying the case, so Jan and her colleagues broke up. The family was very disappointed, and Jan's partners dismissed their partnership, effectively breaking up the company. Jan ended up alone, living in a small apartment and running a small legal practice. He managed to find the last key witness for the case, but lacked the resources and courage to appeal the verdict. The files are archived while Jan then files for bankruptcy.
In a postscript, a short-page montage involving key characters in the film, combined with a description on screen, reveals that the Environmental Protection Agency, building Jan's work on the case, then carries out its own enforcement action against the infringing company, forcing them to pay millions to clear the ground and ground water. It took Jan several years to settle his debt, and he is now practicing environmental law in Toms River, New Jersey.
Differences from book
Plotline has been simplified from books, e.g. the later findings by the Environmental Protection Agency and the potential consequences that may have allowed other court plaintiffs against Beatrice, and which ultimately led to a false oath against John Riley, and misbehavior for Mary Ryan, were only briefly referred to in Epilogue.
The characters of Charles Nesson, Mark Phillips, Rikki Klieman, Teresa Padro and others have been removed from the film version, as well as the plot points they donate.
Maps A Civil Action (film)
Cast
Release
box office
Despite receiving most positive reception from critics and with Duvall getting an Oscar nomination, the A Civil Action did not work the same as anticipated by the audience. Its domestic gross is only $ 56 million, well below the $ 75 million budget. During the original theatrical release A Civil Action competes with other Christmas season blockbusters including Shakespeare in Love The Prince of Egypt Star Trek: Rebellion , You Have Letters , Stepmother and Patch Adams . The film was successful on limited release.
Reception
The movie review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes certifies the Movie as "Fresh" with 60% of favorable reviews, sums up the consensus as "smart and unconventional."
Accolades
- Academy Awards, USA
- Nominate: Best Actor Oscar in Supporting Role (Robert Duvall)
- Nominated: Best Cinematography (Conrad L. Hall)
- Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
- Nominated: Favorite Actor - Drama (John Travolta)
- Nominated: Favorite Supporting Actor: Drama (Duvall)
- Boston Society of Film Critics Awards
- Win: BSFC Award Best Supporting Actor (William H. Macy
- Binded with Billy Bob Thornton for A Simple Plan (1998)
- Chicago Film Critics Association Award
- Nominated: Best CFCA Supporting Actor (Duvall)
- Florida Film Critics Cover Award
- Win: Best Supporting Actor FFCC (Duvall)
- Golden Globes
- Nominated: Best Golden Globe Performance by Actor in Supporting Role in Motion Picture (Duvall)
- Society of Political Movies
- Won: Human Rights PFS Award
- Satellite Award
- Nominated: Golden Satellite Best Performance Award by Actor in Supporting Role in Moving Drawing - Drama (Duvall)
- Screen Actors' Guild Awards
- Winning : Extraordinary Performing Actor by Male Actor in Supporting Role (Duvall)
- USC Scripter Award
- Winning USC Scripter Award (Jonathan Harr (author), Steven Zaillian (screenwriter))
- Author of Guild of America, USA
- Nominated: Best Wizard Award (Screen) Based on Previously Produced or Published Materials
References
External links
- Civil Action on IMDb
- Civil Action at AllMovie
- Civil Action in the TCM Film Database
- Civil Action at the American Film Films Catalog
- Civil Action at Rotten Tomatoes
- Civil Action in Metacritic
- Civil Action in Box Office Mojo
- Civil Action: Before the book and before the film (initial newspaper article by reporter Charles C. Ryan)
- Beyond A Civil Action organized by W. R. Grace & amp; Co.
- In Toxic Toxic Litigation, Truth Is Located Underneath The Eyeballs Without Basis by Eric Asimow, Imagining Justice: The Law Journal On-Line & amp; Popular Culture , February 1999
- Anderson v. Beatrice Foods Index and a copy of each defense filed in the Woburn suit, administered by Florida State University College of Law
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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