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A Civil Action is a 1998 film, starring John Travolta (as plaintiff's attorney Jan Schlichtmann) and Robert Duvall, based on the book of the same name by Jonathan Harr. Both the book and the film are based on real-life events that took place in Woburn, Massachusetts in the 1980s.
Plot summary Jan Schlichtmann (John Travolta) is a successful lawyer who is practically his own entrepreneur. He is an eligible bachelor with a nice car, a nice house, and a career that has amassed huge rewards. Not to mention being the founder and practice of the lucrative law firm he runs with his Boston partners, all in a case's settlement. However, one day he recives a call from a woman, Anne Anderson, who informs Jan his firm is handling the case of the town's deceased children against a giant food conglomerate, with the accusation of their companies are responsible for poisoning their children and afflicting them fatally with cancer. Hesitant at first, he almost turns the case away. But after some accidental detective work, he realizes he has a potential case. Jan believes this is one more case he can easily win and make a fortune, as well as a name for he and his firm. With a class action lawsuit to file, Jan willingly puts himself and his firm as representatives of those families. However, it is a tort so expensive and huge, that it could ruin Jan: ruin his pride, his ambition, and ultimately, his career. As the pressures of the case begin to take their toll on both the plaintiff and defense attorneys (as well as the families of course), Jan is about to realize that he has taken on the biggest case of his life, and there is a price to pay. But the defense (Robert Duvall) is unwilling to capitulate so easily to this ambulance chasing lawyer. All in all, it comes down to a settlement, with one dismissal, and a hopeful appeals process. Music The music score was written by Danny Elfman. Other songs include: Certification Awards Trivia This is the second Paramount/Touchstone co-production to star Travolta, after 1997's Face/Off. The real life case at the heart of the book and film is Anne Anderson, et al., v. Cryovac, Inc., et al.. The first reported decision in the case is at 96 F.R.D. 431 (denial of defendants' motion to dismiss). See also | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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