Class Action (1991)

An attorney representing a traumatized accident victim finds that his opponent is a very familiar defense attorney - his own daughter.

Director:

Michael Apted

Writers:

Carolyn Shelby, Christopher Ames

Stars:

Gene Hackman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Colin Friels

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gene Hackman	...	Jedediah Tucker Ward
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio	...	Maggie Ward
Colin Friels	...	Michael Grazier
Joanna Merlin	...	Estelle Ward
Laurence Fishburne	...	Nick Holbrook (as Larry Fishburne)
Donald Moffat	...	Quinn
Jan Rubes	...	Pavel
Matt Clark	...	Judge Symes
Fred Dalton Thompson	...	Dr. Getchell
Jonathan Silverman	...	Brian
Joan McMurtrey	...	Ann
Anne Ramsay	...	Deborah (as Anne Elizabeth Ramsay)
David Byron	...	Carl
Tim Hopper	...	Howie
Robert David Hall	...	Steven Kellen

Storyline

Jed Ward is an attorney who specializes in whistle blower, David vs. Goliath, type cases. He finds a client who is suing an auto company over a safety problem that has had a severe effect on his life after the accident. He must replace the current attorney and be ready for trial quickly, and then he finds that the defense attorney will be his estranged daughter.

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Plot Keywords:

judicial | judiciary | judicial system | attorney | trial | 

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Taglines:

For the plaintiff...Jedediah Tucker Ward. For the defense...Margaret Eleanor Ward. Nothing Personal. It's just Father Vs. Daughter in the fight of their lives.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for uses of strong language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 March 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Személyes ügy

Filming Locations:

Bix Restaurant - 56 Gold Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,207,923, 17 March 1991, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$24,277,858

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$28,277,918

Company Credits

Production Co:

Interscope Communications, Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jed Ward's (Gene Hackman) office scenes were filmed on location in a real law office at 473 Jackson Street on the third floor. At the time, the space was occupied by the legendary San Francisco civil rights/criminal defense lawyer J. Tony Serra. Serra is also visible during the funeral scene sitting in the back of the pews: he's the gentleman with the long gray hair. James Woods played a character based on Serra in the film True Believer (1989).

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Goofs

After being deluged with former test engineer Pavel's lifetime work files while at the automaker, Jed Ward asks colleagues to find "Pavel, the bunny man," so they can speak with him. If they had not yet spoken with Pavel, Jed would not know to describe him as "the bunny man."

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Quotes

Jedediah Tucker Ward: By the way, you so much as look at my daughter, they won't be able to identify you with dental records.

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Connections

Referenced in Fight Club (1999)

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Soundtracks

Up, Up, Up
Written by Dan Hicks
Performed by Dan Hicks and the Acoustic Warriors with the Licketts

User Reviews

Worth a watch, but too slow

The idea, great. the actors, terrific. The plot, solid. the outcome, OK at best. Class Action has its moments, but spends way too much time developing the father-daughter relationship. Just as you get into the dirty dealings of the law firm, the director and editors give us more forced relationship. This is worth a look, but only if on TV.