Harry here, and I just love the trailers for this movie. At one early point the word was a bit iffy, but according to a bunch of little teeny tiny reviews, it seems A CIVIL ACTION has turned itself around to be quite possibly a great little film, if the word I'm hearing continues. But will it be competition for the likes of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, PLEASANTVILLE, THE THIN RED LINE and THE PRINCE OF EGYPT? I don't know, but here's what AICN constant and ever alert spy, The COEN SISTER has to say about it....
Looks like Steven Speilberg has finally met his Oscar competition and it comes from none other than the screenwriter of his own "Schindler's List". With "A Civil Action", writer-director Steve Zaillian is batting a thousand, having previously written and directed one of the best films of the 90s, the poetic and visual stunning "Searching for Bobby Fischer". I suppose this triumph should come as no surprise from a director who managed to showcase chess games with heart-stopping excitement, but one can't help but be impressed by the confidence and mastery of Zaillian's new film.
Based on Jonathan Harr's 1995 bestseller, "A Civil Action" recounts the tale of Jan Schlictmann, a wildly successful personal injury lawyer of a small but profitable Boston boutique firm. Schlictmann spent years and risked the life savings of his firm's partners fighting a toxic-waste lawsuit against two corporations that resulted in the deaths of several suburban children in the small town of Woburn, MA. But this is not a standard courtroom drama, packed with surprise witnesses and last-minute revelations. Instead, it is a realistic, smart and emotionally taxing film about an unspeakable horror and it's ability to effect even the most cynical of hearts.
As Schlictmann, John Travolta is nothing short of brilliant. From the opening scene, where his voice over discusses the perfect client-badly maimed white males at the height of their earning power-Travolta takes on the role of an unapolgetic ambulance chaser with a bravado and assurance I didn't even know he was capable of. Travolta is always a likeable and entertaining performer, his roles are often tainted by a self-aware coolness that never lets you forget you're watching a major star at work. I think the highest compliment I could pay Travolta is to say that as the movie started, not once did I think of him as Vinnie Barbarino-he was Jan Schlictmann. Forget "Pulp Fiction" and "Primary Colors", this is the best performance of his career and expect to see him on the red carpet on Oscar night.
It doesn't hurt that Travolta is backed by a supporting cast that is simply a knockout. Robert Duvall continues to mesmerize as an opposing attorney whose simplistic, down-home attitude barely masks the fiercely competitive shark within. Kathleen Quinlan brings a quiet dignity to what could have been the cliched role of a victim's mother, who first brings the case to Schlictmann and serves as his moral compass. James Gandolfini, who sometimes looks like a blue-collar Kevin Spacey, is simply perfect as a factory worker and neighbor to Quinlan torn between his conscience and his security. And William H. Macy… well, we've all come to expect perfection from one of the best actors of our generation, and Macy never disappoints. As the firm accountant, Macy steals every scene he's in from his opening line. Funny, nervous and rarely without a cigarette in his hand or mouth, he is such a pure joy to watch that when he goes to a bank to desperately beg for another loan to keep the firm afloat, only once was I tempted to suggest he should try kidnapping his wife.
Credit Zaillian for bringing out the best in a spectacular cast, filming his movie with a visually assured touch, contracting Danny Elfman to compose a terrific score and for writing a script that never compromises the sad reality of truth. I suspect several people will be disappointed that the film doesn't end on the highest of dramatic notes or a Hollywood "you can't handle the truth" courtroom speech. Zaillian simply presents the story as it happened; honestly, truthfully. He does a great service to the audience and the real- life characters by letting the drama of this tragedy speak for itself.
