One of these days a filmmaker is going to wise up and base his courtroom drama around a completely sleazy defense lawyer. The results would surely be more interesting than the lackluster cinematic legal fare we've seen of late.
"A Civil Action" does the next best thing — by presenting a terrific shyster (played by veteran character actor Robert Duvall), but one who's strictly a supporting character. Unfortunately, the lead character — a competing attorney (played by John Travolta) — isn't nearly fascinating enough to carry the movie.
This well-meaning film (based on the best-selling, nonfiction book by Jonathan Harr) also undercuts itself by concentrating too heavily on all the courtroom proceedings, such as the countless motions for dismissal and other legal wrangling. The result, of course, is short shrift for the more compelling human element, namely the clients who hired the main character.
The end result is nearly bloodless and somewhat dull, despite the fact that the story seems tailor-made for the big-screen, and that it has a talented supporting cast (which includes Kathleen Quinlan, William H. Macy and Tony Shalhoub, among many others).
As mentioned, the story is based on real-life events, namely the landmark Woburn water-quality case. Residents of the small Massachusetts community, including Anne Anderson (Quinlan), consider bringing suit against two companies they believe poisoned their water supply, leading to several fatal cases of leukemia in their children.
But they can't find anyone to take the case — including personal-injury attorney Jan Schlichtmann (Travolta), who is convinced it is unwinnable. Worse, he doesn't believe it will yield a big payday, his usual motivation for taking such a case.
But when he discovers there are major corporations involved, Jan quickly changes his mind. Ironically, however, the costs of research grow so large they put Jan's small firm in financial peril. Still, when the opposing lawyer (Duvall) advises them to settle the case out of court, Jan continues to push it, even over the objections of his partners (Macy, Shalhoub and Zeljko Ivanek).
Because the film comes from writer-director Steve Zaillian (1993's "Searching for Bobby Fischer"), this emotionally distant drama has to be considered a disappointment. It doesn't help that Travolta's performance is so stand-offish.
As played by Travolta, Schlichtmann is an enigma, whose motives are so unclear that he becomes somewhat unlikable. Contrast that with Duvall, whose slightly eccentric performance almost puts audiences in the unenviable position of rooting for his side to win!
The supporting performers are woefully underused, particularly Quinlan, who exhibits a quiet grace but little else, and Shalhoub and Macy, whose parts could have been combined and the resulting character still wouldn't have much impact on-screen.
"A Civil Action" is rated PG-13 for profanity (including a few uses of the so-called "R-rated" curse word), as well as a violent tantrum.