The Accused (1988)

Director:

Jonathan Kaplan

Writer:

Tom Topor (written by)

Release Date:

14 October 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The first scream was for help. The second is for justice.

Plot:

A rape victim, enraged at the light sentence her attackers received on account that she was of "questionable character" goads a female prosecutor to charge the men who literally cheered the attack on.

Plot Keywords:

Bar | Rape | Victim | Court | Rape Victim

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 4 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Kelly McGillis	...	Kathryn Murphy
Jodie Foster	...	Sarah Tobias
Bernie Coulson	...	Ken Joyce
Leo Rossi	...	Cliff 'Scorpion' Albrect
Ann Hearn	...	Sally Fraser
Carmen Argenziano	...	D.A. Paul Rudolph
Steve Antin	...	Bob Joiner
Tom O'Brien	...	Larry
Peter Van Norden	...	Attorney Paulsen
Terry David Mulligan	...	Lieutenant Duncan
Woody Brown	...	Danny
Scott Paulin	...	Attorney Wainwright
Kim Kondrashoff	...	Kurt
Stephen E. Miller	...	Polito
Tom Heaton	...	Bartender Jesse

Also Known As:

Appel à la justice (Canada: French title)
Reckless Endangerment (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | USA:R (No. 28980) | South Korea:18 | Netherlands:12 | Ireland:18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Australia:R (DVD rating) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | West Germany:16 | Peru:18 | Canada:18A | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Delta, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Paramount Pictures Corporation (Canada)

Trivia:

Annabeth Gish, Alyssa Milano, Demi Moore and Uma Thurman all auditioned for the role of Sarah.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Kenneth Joyce is visiting his buddy in prison, the inmate is wearing a ring on his right hand. Of course, it got me thinking, can one actually wear a ring in prison? Someone involved in the film must have thought so also, as the ring disappears in the last two shots in the scene.

Quotes:

Kathryn Murphy: Listen again...”A person is guilty of criminal solicitation if he commands, induces, entreats or otherwise persuades another person to commit a felony-"
D.A. Paul Rudolph: You can read it to me until you're blue in the face, I am not gonna let you prosecute a bunch of spectators -
Kathryn Murphy: [cutting him off] They're not spectators. They solicited the rape.
D.A. Paul Rudolph: Do you really want to ask a jury to lock up a bunch of people for clapping and cheering?
Kathryn Murphy: Clapping? Cheering? Pushing? Goading? Getting the rape going and keeping it going!
D.A. Paul Rudolph: And what happens if you lose? You'll look like an incompetent. If you win, you'll look like a vengeful bitch. Either way, you'll hurt yourself and this office. Now, drop it. You've got more important things to do.
Kathryn Murphy: No I haven't.
D.A. Paul Rudolph: You haven't got more important things to do than go to trial with a sure loser? What the hell's gotten into you?
Kathryn Murphy: We owe her.
D.A. Paul Rudolph: Owe her what? We put the rapists away.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Jeopardy!: (#26.27)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Walk In My Sleep

Jodie Foster stands out; not much else to recommend it

On 6 March 1983, a woman named Cheryl Araujo was gang-raped by four men on a pool table at Big Dan's Tavern in New Bedford, Massachusetts. A number of men in the bar were cheering the attackers on and after the victim escaped into the street, they continued drinking and joking about the incident.

Ms. Araujo, 21, and all four of her assailants were Portuguese, a major ethnicity in former New England "mill towns" like New Bedford. The Portuguese community sided with its errant sons, rather than their victim, and Cheryl Araujo was basically driven out of town by the animosity of her neighbors. She was killed in an automobile accident in Florida in 1986, leaving behind two children.

This film was loosely based on the Araujo case. Several of Jodie Foster's scenes were so powerful they nearly brought me to tears -- specifically, the scene where she confronts lawyer Kelly McGillis in the latter's apartment during a dinner party; her courtroom testimony; and the horrifying rape scene.

Kelly McGillis seemed to be sleepwalking through this entire film, with only a few moments when she roused herself a bit, but not enough to help. Even so, she appeared more sensitive than the volunteer from the rape crisis center, who stood NEXT TO the ER doctor during the post-assault pelvic exam. If I had been on that table, I'd have wrenched a foot out of the stirrups and kicked her. A woman who has just been gang raped doesn't need one more person invading her privacy.

I agree with an earlier poster who noted the difficult roles of the "cheer and clap" trio. It must have been extremely challenging for a guy who has any sensitivity at all about women to convincingly portray the kind of jerks those three were. My hat's off to all three of them.