A Civil Action (1998)

This movie was just as good the second time I saw it as the first.

It is ironic though, that this movie really is about lawyers and the games they play and their hardships, than it really it about the case at hand.

John Travolta is partners in a firm with William H Macy, and well, two other guys. They have this case dropped on their desk that seems like a long shot. A case that involves contaminated water that has been killing children in a small town in significant numbers. Travolta is used to sure fire wins, easy settlements outside of court, and doesn’t see how he can win. But he is quickly blinded when he realizes that they parent company of the manufacturer they are going after has a ton of money.

A painful movie, that doesn’t have a happy ending, Travolta risks it all and loses. You get a glimpse into how people can get to be when they are desperate for money and how that tears age old friendships apart. Travolta’s nemesis on the other hand is Robert Duvall, who is evil to the core, and by the end, you learn to hate him more for his character than those who are at fault for contaminating the drinking water.

A funny and poignant movie, it is hard to describe. In the footsteps of any smart lawyer movie, like The Rainmaker, this is involving to the end. I gave it four stars because I wouldn’t watch it over and over, but a great movie nonetheless.

Here are some similar arcade posts

• Basic (2003)
• Ladder 49 (2004)
• Urban Cowboy (1980)
• Get Shorty (1995)
• Be Cool (2005)

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