| A Civil Action Review |
| by John Carroll |
| Big courtroom thrillers have always captivated America. O.J. Simpson, Tom
Capano, The Menendez Brothers. All these names are synonymous to Americans and
courtrooms. And, of course, courtroom dramas are not a new topic to Hollywood.
Whether it be John...more |
| A Civil Action Review |
| by Matt Williams |
| Not your typical legal drama, A Civil Action eschews grandiose
cinematic gestures in favor of a slightly more grounded (and definitely
more cynical) interpretation of the legal process. It provides an
always interesting, and sometimes fascinating,...more |
| A Civil Action Review |
| by Mac VerStandig |
| "I'm going to do something really outrageous. I am going to tell the
truth." So proclaims John Travolta in his last film, Primary Colors.
Kind of ironic that he went from that role, to playing a lawyer in his
new film, A Civil Action, don't you think?...more |
| A Civil Action Review |
| by David Wilcock |
| A new courtroom thriller starring John Travolta that _isn't_ written by John
Grisham? There's a miracle everyday in Hollywood. This interesting vehicle
adapted from the true story novelised by Jonathan Harr is an straight
forward telling of the lawfirm...more |
| A Civil Action Review |
| by Matt Prigge |
| Starring: John Travolta, Robert Duvall, William H. Macy, Tony Shalhoub,
Zeljko Ivanek, John Lithgow, Kathleen Quinlan, James Gandolfini, David
Thornton, Bruce Norris, Dan Hedaya, Peter Jacobsen, Sydney Pollack,
Stephen Fry, Edward Herrman more |
| A Civil Action Review |
| by Kevin Patterson |
| A CIVIL ACTION
Rating: *** (out of four)
PG-13, 1998
Director/Screenplay: Steven Zaillian
Starring Cast: John Travolta, Robert Duvall, John Lithgow, William H. Macy more |
| A Civil Action Review |
| by Joe Viglione |
| This is a once in a lifetime role for John
Travolta, and at the onset, he looks brilliant
in it; but Robert Duvall not only outclasses
Travolta's character, he shows John what
Burt Reynolds meant about there being
nothing like an old...more |
| A Civil Action Review |
| by Bob Bloom |
| But watching one on the screen is a different matter. If you bog the
audience down in too much legalese, it becomes bored. If you spend too much
time delving into the personal lives of the protagonists, or toss in a
corny love story, than the drama in...more |
| A Civil Action Review |
| by Curtis Edmonds |
| When I was in law school, we once argued the moral effect of the
economic calculus that A Civil Action presents us with. Plaintiff's
attorney Jan Schlichtmann (John Travolta) explains to us via voiceover
that a client with a disability is "worth more"...more |
| A Civil Action Review |
| by Ryan Davis |
| What happens when a greedy, cut throat personal injury lawyer gets a heart
of gold? This is the simple basis to one of the year’s best pictures.
Although nicely written and directed by Steven Zaillian, the Academy Award
winning writer of Schindler's...more |
| A Civil Action Review |
| by Joe Barlow |
| STARRING: John Travolta, Robert Duvall, William H. Macy
DIRECTOR: Steven Zaillian
WRITER: Steven Zaillian (based on the book by Johnathan
Harr, which is in turn based on a true story)
RATED: PG-13
YEAR: 1998
SEEN AT: Imperial Cinema,...more |
| A Civil Action Review |
| by Edwin Jahiel |
| A CIVIL ACTION ***1/2. Directed, written, executive-produced by Steven
Zaillian. From the book by Jonathan Harr. Photography, Conrad L. Hall.
Editing,Wayne Wahrman. Production design, David Gropman.Music, Danny
Elfman.Produced by Scott Rudin, Robert...more |
| A Civil Action Review |
| by Berge Garabedian |
| This film melds the respective talents of the man behind the words of
SCHINDLER'S LIST (7/10) and the man who once proudly uttered the phrase
"They call it Le BigMac" in a film, Steve Zaillian and John Travolta.
Captured from a book written by Jonathan...more |
| A Civil Action Review |
| by Walter Frith |
| Litigation and communication. The key to being a good lawyer and having
a successful legal career. Those unsuccessful at it usually become
politicians. What do you call a thousand lawyers chained to the bottom
of the ocean? Generally, a good start....more |
| A Civil Action Review |
| by Nathaniel R. Atcheson |
| Director: Steven Zaillian
Cast: John Travolta, Robert Duvall, Tony Shalhoub, William H. Macy,
Zeljko Ivanek, James Gandolfini
Screenplay: Steven Zaillian
Producers: Rachel Pfeffer, Robert Redford, Scott Rudin
Runtime: 112 min.
US Distribution:...more |
| A Civil Action Review |
| by Michael Redman |
| A very rare number of people, at very rare times, are living their everyday
lives when they meet God on the road to Damascus. They're going to work.
They're shopping for groceries. They're paying bills. Suddenly there's a
blinding light and their reality...more |
| A Civil Action Review |
| by Craig Roush |
| Release Date: January 8, 1999
Starring: John Travolta, Robert Duvall, Tony Shalhoub, William H. Macy,
Kathleen Quinlan, Bruce Norris, John Lithgow
Directed by: Steve Zaillian
Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (some strong language)...more |
| A Civil Action Review |
| by Mark R Leeper |
| Capsule: A successful but unscrupulous
personal injury lawyer takes on an environmental
case and soon finds that he and his law firm may be
in over their heads. Stephen Zaillian writes the...more |
| A Civil Action Review |
| by Mark O'Hara |
| I like John Travolta. There's the connection I feel from my teenage
years when he was Vinnie Barbarino, my friends and me cracking up in the
high school cafeteria with the line, "Up your nose with a rubber hose."
I grew up in New Jersey, and...more |
| A Civil Action Review |
| by Dustin Putman |
| Directed by Steven Zaillian.
Cast: John Travolta, Robert Duvall, Stephen Fry, William H. Macy, James
Gandolfini, Kathleen Quinlan, Tony Shalhoub, Dan Hedaya, John Lithgow,
Mary Mara, Kathy Bates.
1998 - 115 minutes.
Rated PG-13 (for...more |
| A Civil Action Review |
| by Scott Renshaw |
| A CIVIL ACTION
(Touchstone)
Starring: John Travolta, Robert Duvall, William H. Macy, Tony Shalhoub,
Zeljko Ivanek, Bruce Norris, John Lithgow, Kathleen Quinlan.
Screenplay: Steven Zaillian, based on the book by Jonathan Harr.
Producers: Scott Rudin,...more |
| A Civil Action Review |
| by Edward Johnson-ott |
| A Civil Action (1998)
John Travolta, Robert Duvall, Tony Shalhoub, William H. Macy, Zeljko
Ivanek, James Gandolfini, Bruce Norris, John Lithgow, Kathleen Quinlan,
David Thornton, Stephen Fry, Dan Hedaya, Sydney Pollack. Produced by
Scott Rudin, Rachel...more |
| A Civil Action Review |
| by Susan Granger |
| Susan Granger's review of "A CIVIL ACTION" (Touchstone/Paramount Pictures
Adapted from Jonathan Harr's 1995 non-fiction best-seller, this
is a deadly serious legal thriller - it's also a deadly bore. John
Travolta sleepwalks through the role of...more |
| A Civil Action Review |
| by Michael Dequina |
| Every December there emerges a film touted as a major award contender
only to come up short. Last year, it was Steven Spielberg's overrated
_Amistad_; this year, it's Steven Zaillian's _A_Civil_Action_, which,
like the former film, is a technically...more |
| A Civil Action Review |
| by Harvey S. Karten |
| Reviewed by Harvey Karten, Ph.D.
Touchstone Pictures
Director: Steven Zaillian
Writer: Steven Zaillian, book by Jonathan Harr
Cast: John Travolta, Robert Duvall, William H. Macy, John
Lithgow, Kathleen Quinlan, Dan Hedaya, James Gandolfini,
Edward...more |
