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IMDb > A Civil Action (1998)
A Civil Action
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A Civil Action (1998) More at IMDbPro »

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A Civil Action (1998) -- The families of children who died sue two companies for dumping toxic waste: a tort so expensive to prove, the case could bankrupt their lawyer.

Overview

User Rating:
6.3/10   13,009 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 9% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Steven Zaillian
Writers (WGA):
Jonathan Harr (book)
Steven Zaillian (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for A Civil Action on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 January 1999 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama more
Tagline:
Justice has its price.
Plot:
The families of children who died sue two companies for dumping toxic waste: a tort so expensive to prove, the case could bankrupt their lawyer. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 8 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(16 articles)
Gibson's Payback
 (From Studio Briefing - Film News. 9 February 1999)

Oscar In Love
 (From Studio Briefing - Film News. 9 February 1999)

User Comments:
Good, but not great more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for some strong language.
Runtime:
115 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Based on a true story. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Near the end of the movie, the envelope from the EPA appears on Facher's desk before the employee places it there. more
Quotes:
James Gordon: [Regarding the case and the following settlement] Mrs. Anderson, you're looking at four guys who are broke. We lost everything trying this case.
Anne Anderson: How can you even begin to compare what you've lost, to what we've lost.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in The 56th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1999) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Theme more

FAQ

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13 out of 17 people found the following comment useful:-
Good, but not great, 5 September 2004
7/10
Author: Grann-Bach (Grann-Bach@jubii.dk) from Denmark

As far as courtroom dramas go, this is by no means great. I've seen plenty of them, as American law system interests me. The greatest would arguably be A Few Good Men... this is pretty much in the order end of the spectrum, being a fairly slight courtroom drama. It has just enough good points to it to keep it above average, but only *just* enough. I think the way the story was told was fairly standard, but good anyway. I liked Travolta's voice-overs, and liked the fact that it's not the typical cliché-like ending, where, against all odds, the case is won. I won't tell you exactly how it ends, but the ending is pretty good, and not as predictable as many of the courtroom dramas are. The plot is good, and develops, at least in the beginning, pretty good, and with a good pace. However, somewhere in the last half, the pace drops and you find yourself being bored with the film. Too bad, since it started out so promising. The acting is very good; Duvall and Travolta are obviously good, but Macy and Lithgow were surprisingly good(not that they're typically bad, though). The supporting cast also do their jobs well. The characters are well-written, credible, and well-casted. The humor, though rare in the film, is mostly good. All in all, a pretty good courtroom drama, based on a true story, and a basic story of inexperienced against experienced, as they say in the featurette on the DVD. I recommend it to fans of courtroom dramas, and fans of any of the actors. 7/10

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