Les accusés (1988)

After a young woman suffers a brutal rape in a bar one night, a prosecutor assists in bringing the perpetrators to justice, including the ones who encouraged and cheered on the attack.

Director:

Jonathan Kaplan

Writer:

Tom Topor

Stars:

Kelly McGillis, Jodie Foster, Bernie Coulson

Won 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Sarah Tobias goes to her local bar and is gang-raped by three men. The district attorney on the case is Katheryn Murphy who wants to prove that although Sarah had taken drugs that night and was acting provocatively while in the bar, this is no reason for her to be so brutally attacked and the men responsible should be brought to justice.

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Plot Keywords:

blaming the victim | charged with rape | courtroom drama | rape | justice | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 October 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Reckless Endangerment

Filming Locations:

Delta, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$32,069,318 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Paramount Pictures Corporation (Canada)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kathleen Turner was considered for the role of Kathryn.

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Goofs

When Sarah is going through the rape exam, and she is first shown with her face, she does not have abrasions or bruising on her lip or chin. Then when she's laying down for the rest of the exam she has bruising, an abrasion on her lip, and chin.

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Quotes

Kathryn Murphy: Either you tell me right now what you saw or you can tell it to me on the witness stand.
Ken Joyce: Why? This isn't my business. I don't care about this.

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Connections

Spoofed in South Park: The China Probrem (2008)

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Soundtracks

Kiss Of Fire
By James Harman, Kid Ramos, Willie J. Campbell & Stephen T. Hodges
Performed by The James Harman Band
Courtesy of Rhino Records, Inc.

User Reviews

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.