Movie Description
Jan Schlichtmann, a tenacious young lawyer, is confronted with the litigation of a lifetime in this unbelievable real-life story. Several families in the small town of Woburn, Massachusetts, have suffered the tragic losses of their children to the rare cancer known as leukemia. After having their claim rejected by most law firms in town, these citizens approach Schlichtmann with the possibility that the deaths of their children may have had to do with Woburn's drinking water supply being contaminated by a couple of local businesses. The rub lies in the fact that these businesses are offshoots of two of the most powerful national corporations in the country! Schlichtmann must push his skill and craftiness as a lawyer to the limit in order to oust his opponents, who are working with a limitless bankroll. Based on the great fact-based novel.
| Credits | | Producer: | Rachel Pfeffer, Robert Redford | | Cast: | Alan Wilder, Charles Levin, Dan Hedaya, Daniel Von Bargen, David Barrett, David Thornton, Gene Wolande, Jay Patterson, John Lafayette, Juli Donald, Kaiulani Lee, Kathleen Quinlan, Kevin Fry, Ned Eisenberg, Paul Ben-Victor, Ryan Janis, Stephen Fry |
Notes
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Single Side - Single Layer
Letterboxed - Anamorphic - 1.85:1
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Dolby Surround - French
Additional Release Material:
Featurette
Trailers - 1. Original Theatrical Trailer
Interactive Features:
Scene Access
Interactive Menus
Editorial Reviews
"...A CIVIL ACTION has a lightness of touch uncharacteristic of the genre..."
Sight and Sound - p.39-40 - Stella Bruzzi (03/01/1999)
"...A CIVIL ACTION is a whale of a tale about justice gone wrong..."
Rolling Stone - p.84 - Peter Travers (01/21/1999)
"...The case itself remains a grabber..."
USA Today - p.4D - Mike Clark (12/24/1998)
"...[A] gripping, expertly acted film....It tells a finely nuanced tale of right, wrong and the gray area in between..."
New York Times - p.E1 - Janet Maslin (12/25/1998)
"...Elegantly stylized and crisply edited, the film also features a host of fine performances....[With] excellent work from composer Danny Elfman..."
Box Office - Wade Major (02/01/1999)
"...A CIVIL ACTION is like John Grisham for grownups....[The film is] about the gulf between skill and justice..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (01/18/1999)
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