Absence of Malice (1981)

When a prosecutor leaks a false story that a liquor warehouse owner is involved in the murder of a union head, the man's life begins to unravel.

Director:

Sydney Pollack

Writer:

Kurt Luedtke

Stars:

Paul Newman, Sally Field, Bob Balaban

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Newman	...	Gallagher
Sally Field	...	Megan
Bob Balaban	...	Rosen
Melinda Dillon	...	Teresa
Luther Adler	...	Malderone
Barry Primus	...	Waddell
Josef Sommer	...	McAdam
John Harkins	...	Davidek
Don Hood	...	Quinn
Wilford Brimley	...	Wells
Arnie Ross	...	Eddie Frost
Phanie Napoli	...	Nickie (as Anna Marie Napoles)
Shelley Spurlock	...	Sarah Wylie
Shawn McAllister	...	Hood 1
Joe Petrullo	...	Hood 2

Storyline

Mike Gallagher is a Miami liquor wholesaler whose deceased father was a local mobster. The FBI organized crime task force have no evidence that he's involved with the mob but decide to pressure him into perhaps revealing something - anything - about a murder they're sure was a mob hit. They let Megan Carter, a naive but well-meaning journalist, know he is being investigated and Gallagher's name is soon all over the newspaper. Gallagher has an iron-clad alibi for when the murder occurred but won't reveal it to protect his fragile friend Teresa. When Carter publishes her story, tragedy ensues. Needing to make amends, Carter tells Gallagher the source of the first story about him and he sets out to teach the FBI and the Federal Attorney a lesson.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | reference to the john f. kennedy assassination | coffee | newspaper | mafia | 

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Taglines:

Suppose you picked up this morning's newspaper and your life was a front page headline... And everything they said was accurate... But none of it was true.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

18 December 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ausencia de malicia

Filming Locations:

Miami Herald Newspaper Building - 1 Herald Plaza, Miami, Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$97,667, 22 November 1981

Gross USA:

$40,716,963

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$40,716,963

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Mirage Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At one point in the film when, Sally Field and Paul Newman are having dinner, Field tells a story about her father laying down on the lawn waiting for her character to return from a date. This is in fact a true story from Ms. Field's autobiography. Her step father (Jock Mahoney) waited for to come home by laying on the lawn.

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Goofs

The union workers who struck Michael told him that if their union cards were pulled they would not be able to work anywhere. Florida is a right to work state and you don't need to have a union card to work. They would be considered "scabs" but they would be able to work at any dock in Miami.

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Quotes

James A. Wells, Assistant U.S. Attorney General: Tell you what we're gonna do. We're gonna sit right here and talk about it. Now if you get tired of talking here, Mr. Marshal Elving Patrick there will hand you one of them subpoenas he's got stuck down in his pocket and we'll go downstairs and talk in front of the grand jury... Elliot? Jim?... Fine. All right, Elving, hand whichever one of these fellas you like a subpoena and we'll go on downstairs and talk in front of the grand jury.
District Attorney James A. Quinn: Gallagher's a government witness.
James A. Wells, Assistant U.S. Attorney General: Wonderful thing, a ...

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Connections

Referenced in The Directors: The Films of Sydney Pollack (2000)

User Reviews

Newman is great in this Sydney Pollack film

Sydney Pollack's harsh take on the press plays out with Paul Newman as an innocent liquor dealer and Sally Field as the delusional, yet still spunky reporter that implicates Newman in the disappearance of a local Miami labor leader.

"Absence of Malice" takes a rather tough look at the newspapers in this country. Instead of being the hero, as they were in say "All the President's Men," they are portrayed here as the agitators that don't seem to care about flimsy accusations and exposing very personal secrets.

The plot is at times a little too convoluted and Newman's character's actions/dealings toward the end of the film are a little too unbelievable for me, at least. Tension also fails to build. The film, however, isn't a mystery, so plot machinations like people getting murdered in a dark alley aren't here and shouldn't be.

Newman is great here. At his cool, suave best. Even at 56 years of age, he is still incredibly gorgeous. He could just coast on that, but he doesn't. He gives a polished and reserved performance, while definitely adding more layers to the character. Sally Field, on the other hand, is totally miscast here - too much Norma Rae here. She is feisty for sure, but seems to be trying too hard to play this strong willed, tough, and smart reporter. This is especially evident when she's playing against Paul Newman who in turn is giving such an effortless performance. Jane Fonda would've been so much better! Wilford Brimley is great in a small supporting role near the end of the film and Melinda Dillon, giving a very subtle and quiet performance, is very effective as a woman with a secret that eventually gets exposed.