A CIVIL ACTION
A movie review by Joe Barlow
(c) Copyright 1999
STARRING: John Travolta, Robert Duvall, William H. Macy
DIRECTOR: Steven Zaillian
WRITER: Steven Zaillian (based on the book by Johnathan
Harr, which is in turn based on a true story)
RATED: PG-13
YEAR: 1998
SEEN AT: Imperial Cinema, Cary NC
RATING: *** (out of a possible ****)
How much are twelve human lives worth? That's the primary question director Steven Zaillian ("Searching for Bobby Fischer") explores in his new courtroom drama, "A Civil Action," and boy, is it a doozy. Based on a true story, "A Civil Action" brings us into a complex legal quagmire, explains the facts in an interesting (if melodramatic) fashion, then leaves us to ponder the outcome as the credits roll. Little is truly resolved at the conclusion of the tale... but for once, that's exactly as it should be.
Something lurks in the drinking water of Woburn, Massachusettes-- an unidentified substance which is robbing the town's children of their lives. Suspecting these deaths are being caused by the toxic substances a local lumber company is unleashing into a nearby river (which also doubles as the town's water supply), a group of concerned parents hire personal injury lawyer Jan Schlichtmann (John Travolta) to investigate. A self- professed "ambulance chaser," Schlichtmann is initially reluctant to take the case, citing the low settlement the group could expect to receive from such a financially-strapped company. This reluctance vanishes, however, after he discovers the company's ties to corporate giant Beatrice Foods. Schlichtmann has, of course, missed the point entirely: the parents aren't seeking financial compensation for the deaths of their children... merely a formal apology. Alas, apologies are not acceptable currency for Schlichtmann, and he pursues the case purely as a means for financial gain.
Assisting Schlichtmann are two colleagues from his law firm, plus James Gordon (William H. Macy), the firm's accountant, who is (justifiably, it turns out) concerned with the amount of time and money the Woburn case is costing the company. (Macy stole the show for me, as he has in nearly every movie I've seen him in.) Robert Duvall is also fascinating as Jerry Facher, the eccentric Beatrice Foods attourney who becomes Schlichtmann's arch-nemesis in the case. His odd, nervous habits (bouncing a tennis ball during telephone conversations, obsessing over an ink pen he finds during a meeting) stand out all the more when compared with his shrewd, legal mind. The man is a brilliant lawyer, and Schlichtmann's firm knows it.
The big strength of "A Civil Action," however, is Travolta's cold, predatory performance as Jan Schlichtmann. Conveying a hard, self-serving streak which harkens back to his role in "Pulp Fiction," Travolta depicts Schlichtmann as a Scrooge-like landshark, interested only in the money he can make from the misfortune of others. The film's opening scene, for example, is a chilling reading by Schlichtmann of the relative worth of different types of people, as seen by the court (most valuable on the list: rich, white males in their 40s. Least valuable? "A dead child.") Much of the story's power ebbs in the second half, however, when Schlichtmann undergoes a Grinch-like transformation from "stingy money grubber" to "moralistic saint." The change is a bit too sudden to be totally convincing, but Travolta does what he can with the material. His efforts are to be commended, for he comes very close to pulling it off, despite the lackluster writing in the film's final half-hour.
"A Civil Action" is a better than average court movie, probably because it concentrates on the legalities involved in such a case. It's made all the more fascinating by its basis in reality, and fine acting. Only Travolta's forced, Hollywood-induced spiritual transformation makes it difficult to truly believe what you're seeing. A pity.
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