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Siviilirohkeutta

Original title: A Civil Action
  • 19981998
  • K-12K-12
  • 1h 55m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
29K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
8,608
1,469
John Travolta in Siviilirohkeutta (1998)
Trailer for A Civil Action
Play trailer0:58
1 Video
50 Photos
Drama

A tenacious lawyer takes on a case involving a major company responsible for causing several people to be diagnosed with leukemia due to the town's water supply being contaminated, at the ri... Read allA tenacious lawyer takes on a case involving a major company responsible for causing several people to be diagnosed with leukemia due to the town's water supply being contaminated, at the risk of bankrupting his firm and career.A tenacious lawyer takes on a case involving a major company responsible for causing several people to be diagnosed with leukemia due to the town's water supply being contaminated, at the risk of bankrupting his firm and career.

IMDb RATING
6.6/10
29K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
8,608
1,469
  • Director
    • Steven Zaillian
  • Writers
    • Jonathan Harr(book)
    • Steven Zaillian(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • John Travolta
    • Robert Duvall
    • Kathleen Quinlan
Top credits
  • Director
    • Steven Zaillian
  • Writers
    • Jonathan Harr(book)
    • Steven Zaillian(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • John Travolta
    • Robert Duvall
    • Kathleen Quinlan
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 198User reviews
    • 64Critic reviews
    • 68Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 5 wins & 10 nominations total

    Videos1

    A Civil Action
    Trailer 0:58
    A Civil Action

    Photos50

    John Travolta in Siviilirohkeutta (1998)
    John Travolta and Kathleen Quinlan in Siviilirohkeutta (1998)
    John Travolta in Siviilirohkeutta (1998)
    John Travolta, Robert Duvall, John Lithgow, and Zeljko Ivanek in Siviilirohkeutta (1998)
    John Travolta and Robert Duvall in Siviilirohkeutta (1998)
    John Travolta in Siviilirohkeutta (1998)
    John Travolta in Siviilirohkeutta (1998)
    John Travolta, William H. Macy, Tony Shalhoub, and Zeljko Ivanek in Siviilirohkeutta (1998)
    John Travolta in Siviilirohkeutta (1998)
    John Travolta, Robert Duvall, John Lithgow, and Zeljko Ivanek in Siviilirohkeutta (1998)
    John Travolta, William H. Macy, Tony Shalhoub, and Zeljko Ivanek in Siviilirohkeutta (1998)
    John Travolta in Siviilirohkeutta (1998)

    Top cast

    Edit
    John Travolta
    John Travolta
    • Jan Schlichtmann
    Robert Duvall
    Robert Duvall
    • Jerome Facher
    Kathleen Quinlan
    Kathleen Quinlan
    • Anne Anderson
    Tony Shalhoub
    Tony Shalhoub
    • Kevin Conway
    William H. Macy
    William H. Macy
    • James Gordon
    Zeljko Ivanek
    Zeljko Ivanek
    • Bill Crowley
    Bruce Norris
    • William Cheeseman
    John Lithgow
    John Lithgow
    • Judge Walter J. Skinner
    Peter Jacobson
    Peter Jacobson
    • Neil Jacobs
    Mary Mara
    Mary Mara
    • Kathy Boyer
    James Gandolfini
    James Gandolfini
    • Al Love
    Stephen Fry
    Stephen Fry
    • Pinder
    Dan Hedaya
    Dan Hedaya
    • John Riley
    David Thornton
    David Thornton
    • Richard Aufiero
    Sydney Pollack
    Sydney Pollack
    • Al Eustis
    Ned Eisenberg
    Ned Eisenberg
    • Uncle Pete
    Margot Rose
    Margot Rose
    • Donna Robbins
    Daniel von Bargen
    Daniel von Bargen
    • Mr. Granger
    • (as Daniel Von Bargen)
    • Director
      • Steven Zaillian
    • Writers
      • Jonathan Harr(book)
      • Steven Zaillian(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Based on a true story.
    • Goofs
      Near the end of the movie, the envelope from the EPA appears on Facher's desk before the employee places it there.
    • Quotes

      Jan Schlichtmann: [narrating] The odds of a plaintiff's lawyer winning in civil court are two to one against. Think about that for a second. Your odds of surviving a game of Russian roulette are better than winning a case at trial. 12 times better. So why does anyone do it? They don't. They settle. Out of the 780,000, only 12,000 or 11/2 percent ever reach a verdict. The whole idea of lawsuits is to settle, to compel the other side to settle. And you do that by spending more money than you should, which forces them to spend more money than they should, and whoever comes to their senses first loses. Trials are a corruption of the entire process and only fools who have something to prove end up ensnared in them. Now when I say prove, I don't mean about the case, I mean about themselves.

    • Crazy credits
      The producers wish to thank the people of Boston, Waltham, Northbridge, Charlestown, Dedham, Brimfield and Palmer, MA.
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Star Trek: Insurrection/Jack Frost/Shakespeare in Love/Psycho/The General (1998)
    • Soundtracks
      Hard Workin' Man
      Written by Jack Nitzsche, Ry Cooder, Paul Schrader

      Performed by Don Van Vliet (as Captain Beefheart)

      Courtesy of MCA Records

      Under license from Universal Music Special Markets

    User reviews198

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Well made drama about the more important things
    John Travolta gives a pretty good performance here in Steve Zaillan's (scripter of Schindler's List) Civil Action as a hot shot lawyer who gets a case of people in a small town poisoned by the local water. Then the lawsuit begins, though we learn more here than any Grisham film. A film about being humane and trying to do the right thing over money. The entire supporting cast is a big boost, including Robert Duvall as the opposing attorney, William H. Macy, Tony Shalhoub as Travolta's attorney's, Kathleen Quinlann who is the heart of the movie and James Gandolfini as a resident. A
    helpful•23
    3
    • Quinoa1984
    • Jan 27, 2001

    FAQ4

    • What did Judge Skinner do that Jan didn't like?
    • Why did Facher exhibit odd behaviors?
    • What is an 'orphan'?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 8, 1999 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • A Civil Action
    • Filming locations
      • Northbridge, Massachusetts, USA
    • Production companies
      • Touchstone Pictures
      • Paramount Pictures
      • Wildwood Enterprises
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $75,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $56,709,981
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $70,079
      • Dec 27, 1998
    • Gross worldwide
      • $56,709,981
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 55 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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