A Civil Action (1998) John Travolta, Robert Duvall, Tony Shalhoub, William H. Macy, Zeljko Ivanek, James Gandolfini, Bruce Norris, John Lithgow, Kathleen Quinlan, David Thornton, Stephen Fry, Dan Hedaya, Sydney Pollack. Produced by Scott Rudin, Rachel Pfeffer and Robert Redford. Music by Danny Elfman. Screenplay by Steven Zaillian, based on the book by Jonathan Harr. Directed by Steven Zaillian. 112 minutes. Rated PG-13, 3 stars (out of five stars)
Review by Ed Johnson-Ott, NUVO Newsweekly www.nuvo-online.com Archive reviews at http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Edward+Johnson-ott To receive reviews by e-mail at no charge, send subscription requests to pbbp24a@prodigy.com
"I can appreciate the theatrical value of several dead kids," muses personal injury lawyer Jan Schlictmann (John Travolta) early in the legal thriller, "A Civil Action." To its credit, the film, based on Jonathan Harr's nonfiction bestseller, carefully avoids exploiting the death of those children. In fact, the production successfully navigates around most of the rampant emotional manipulation and storytelling clichés that fuel so many courtroom dramas. Unfortunately, in their determination to recount a complicated series of events accurately and without emotional button-pushing, the filmmakers undercut the inherent drama of their own story. "A Civil Action" is admirable and quite interesting, but not nearly as compelling as it should be.
Set in the '80s in Woburn, Massachusetts, the case revolves around eight families who lost children to leukemia. Believing that chemical dumping by two local factories tainted the town's water supply and led to the deaths, Anne Anderson (Kathleen Quinlan), mother of one of the children, approaches Schlichtmann on behalf of the parents. She is adamant that the families are not interested in wealth - - they simply want an apology from the responsible parties.
With well-rehearsed compassionate tones, Schlichtmann explains that, while he feels her pain, his firm is small enough that they cannot afford to lose a case. As a courtesy, he makes a cursory investigation of the site, only to discover that the factories in question are owned by two giant corporations, W.R. Grace & Co. and Beatrice Foods. With dollar signs in his eyes, Schlichtmann does an about-face and convinces his partners to devote their full resources to the case, leading him to face off against William Cheeseman (Bruce Norris), W.R. Grace's self-important, boobish head lawyer, and Beatrice attorney Jerome Facher (Robert Duvall), a much craftier, formidable foe.
Writer/director Steven Zaillian does a nice job of compressing a very complex true story into a manageable package. A series of well-staged deposition scenes lay out the particulars of the case, while voice-overs and sharp editing effectively detail the legal tactics. Early on, we learn that in the world of personal injury law, settling out of court means everything. Only 1.5% of the cases ever reach a verdict, and, out of those, the result is two to one against the plaintiff.
For the most part, "A Civil Action" minimizes the human factor of the tragedy, focusing instead on the high-stakes pissing war between the lawyers. Schlichtmann becomes obsessed on extracting as much money from the corporations as possible, turning down huge proposed settlements because the figures were offered too easily. His primary motive may be greed exacerbated by wounded pride, or he might be honestly trying to serve the families, recognizing that a soulless corporation understands only money, and a severe financial penalty is the closest thing to an apology his clients will ever receive.
What's actually going on in Schlichtmann's head is anybody's guess, because the film provides scant insight into the man. As always, John Travolta is a commanding presence, but he doesn't seem to have a handle on the character. One thing is clear - - Schlichtmann's skills do not match his zeal. The further he gets into the case, the more clumsy he becomes. One of the film's most striking passages shows Facher telling a law class about tactical mistakes often made in the courtroom, while the camera cuts to images of Schlichtmann making those very errors.
As Facher, the amazing Robert Duvall is ornery and assured, although his overabundant display of colorful eccentricities borders on showboating. He sticks out even more in comparison to the rest of the central players, a numbing group of one-note characters. Only a few supporting cast members manage to flesh out their roles. James Gandolfini is excellent as a Grace employee giving his deposition under the watchful eyes of the corporate attorneys, using subtle changes in expression to efficiently convey the sense of a man of conscience who has selected this moment to rebel against a lifetime of silent intimidation.
And while Kathleen Quinlan's character serves only as a symbol of parental grief, David Thornton does wonders with his few onscreen moments, displaying restraint and quiet dignity as he relates his desperate failed attempts to revive his son, who stopped breathing during the drive to the hospital. There is no bathos in the scene; just unadorned, heartbreaking human grief.
A little more humanity would have done wonders for this film. The lawyers' posturing, planning and maneuvering is fascinating, but with the human factor pushed so far into the background, the production turns into a clinical, ultimately anticlimactic exercise. Fair to a fault, "A Civil Action" is too civil to leave a lasting impression.
© 1998 Ed Johnson-Ott
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