Menu

Discover

Genres

Appearance

  • light/dark mode
powered by
moviedb

A Civil Action

"Justice has its price."

1998-12-25 Drama 1hr 55m

Jan Schlickmann is a cynical lawyer who goes out to 'get rid of' a case, only to find out it is potentially worth millions. The case becomes his obsession, to the extent that he is willing to give up everything—including his career and his clients' goals—in order to continue the case against all odds.

More
Trailer
Amazon Video

Watch on Amazon Video

close
A Civil Action
Amazon Video

Watch on Amazon Video

Storyline

Jan Schlickmann is a cynical lawyer who goes out to 'get rid of' a case, only to find out it is potentially worth millions. The case becomes his obsession, to the extent that he is willing to give up everything—including his career and his clients' goals—in order to continue the case against all odds.

  • Released
    1998-12-25
  • Revenue
    $56,709,981
  • Budget
    $70,000,000
  • Runtime
    1hr 55m
  • Genre
    Drama
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    English
  • imdb-logo
    6.6
  • Production
    Touchstone Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Wildwood Enterprises, Scott Rudin Productions

Crew

Steven Zaillian
Director
Steven Zaillian
Screenplay
Rachel Pfeffer
Producer
Keywords:
right and justice advancement success leukemia lawyer business start-up legal drama

Stream and watch A Civil Action

similar movies

12 Angry Men

12 Angry Men

The Paper

The Paper

Breakfast of Champions

Breakfast of Champions

Suspect

Suspect

The Privileged

The Privileged

Rock Star

Rock Star

Pollock

Pollock

The Star Chamber

The Star Chamber

Reservation Road

Reservation Road

The Insider

The Insider

Desperate Measures

Desperate Measures

Reckless Disregard

Reckless Disregard

When the White Lilacs Bloom Again

When the White Lilacs Bloom Again

Lemon Tree

Lemon Tree

Griffin and Phoenix

Griffin and Phoenix

Carlito's Way

Carlito's Way

Moral

Moral

Death to Smoochy

Death to Smoochy

Leatherheads

Leatherheads

Of One Blood

Of One Blood

Cast

John Travolta

John Travolta
Jan Schlichtmann
Robert Duvall

Robert Duvall
Jerome Facher
Tony Shalhoub

Tony Shalhoub
Kevin Conway
William H. Macy

William H. Macy
James Gordon
Zeljko Ivanek

Zeljko Ivanek
Bill Crowley
Bruce Norris

Bruce Norris
William Cheeseman
John Lithgow

John Lithgow
Judge Walter J. Skinner
Kathleen Quinlan

Kathleen Quinlan
Anne Anderson
Peter Jacobson

Peter Jacobson
Neil Jacobs
Mary Mara

Mary Mara
Kathy Boyer
James Gandolfini

James Gandolfini
Al Love
Stephen Fry

Stephen Fry
Pinder
Denise Dowse

Denise Dowse
Judge Constance Mullen
Dan Hedaya

Dan Hedaya
John Riley
David Thornton

David Thornton
Richard Aufiero
Sydney Pollack

Sydney Pollack
Al Eustis
Ned Eisenberg

Ned Eisenberg
Uncle Pete
Margot Rose

Margot Rose
Donna Robbins
Daniel von Bargen

Daniel von Bargen
Mr. Granger
Caroline Carrigan

Caroline Carrigan
Evelyn Love
Paul Desmond

Paul Desmond
Paul Shalline
Michael P. Byrne

Michael P. Byrne
Tommy Barbas
Tracy Miller

Tracy Miller
Grace Worker
Paul Hewitt

Paul Hewitt
Grace Worker
Clayton Landey

Clayton Landey
Grace Worker
Paul Ben-Victor

Paul Ben-Victor
Bobby Pasqueriella
Elizabeth Burnette

Elizabeth Burnette
Lauren Aufiero
Alan Wilder

Alan Wilder
Insurance Lawyer
Gregg Joseph Monk

Gregg Joseph Monk
Insurance Lawyer
Harout Beshlian

Harout Beshlian
Insurance Lawyer
Josh Pais

Josh Pais
Law Clerk
Haskell V. Anderson III

Haskell V. Anderson III
Courtroom #7 Clerk
Kaiulani Lee

Kaiulani Lee
Mrs. Granger
Howie Carr

Howie Carr
Radio Talk Show Host
Pearline Fergerson

Pearline Fergerson
Court Clerk
Scott Weintraub

Scott Weintraub
PI Lawyer
Robert Cicchini

Robert Cicchini
PI Lawyer
Christopher Stevenson

Christopher Stevenson
Insurance Plaintiff
Kevin Fry-Bowers

Kevin Fry-Bowers
Waiter
Brian Turk

Brian Turk
Mover
Rikki Klieman

Rikki Klieman
TV Reporter
Charlie Stavola

Charlie Stavola
Detective
David Barrett

David Barrett
Teenager on Property
Ryan Janis

Ryan Janis
Teenager on Property
Rob McElhenney

Rob McElhenney
Teenager on Property
Michael Biase

Michael Biase
Market Clerk
Richard Calnan

Richard Calnan
Woburn Traffic Cop
Gene Wolande

Gene Wolande
Hotel Clerk
Sam Travolta

Sam Travolta
Grace Attorney
Gregg Shawzin

Gregg Shawzin
Reporter
Juliana Donald

Juliana Donald
Reporter
Sayda Alan

Sayda Alan
Reporter
Catherine Leahan

Catherine Leahan
Reporter
Bruce Holman

Bruce Holman
Federal Marshall
John Lafayette

John Lafayette
Geologist
Charles Levin

Charles Levin
Geologist
Byron Jennings

Byron Jennings
Geologist
Jay Patterson

Jay Patterson
Geologist
Taylor Bernard

Taylor Bernard
Trustee's Assistant
Kathy Bates

Kathy Bates
Bankruptcy Judge (uncredited)
Harry Dean Stanton

Harry Dean Stanton
Land Watcher (uncredited)

Videos and Photos

video-bd
A Civil Action
A Civil Action
A Civil Action
A Civil Action
A Civil Action
A Civil Action
A Civil Action

Movie Reviews

Reviews for A Civil Action
reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 6

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2024-04-16

Based on a true story, John Travolta portrays an ambulance chasing lawyer whose company takes 40% of any settlement they get for their clien... read more

Based on a true story, John Travolta portrays an ambulance chasing lawyer whose company takes 40% of any settlement they get for their clients following accidents in the workplace, or during surgery, or on the road etc. It's when he becomes aware of a clutch of leukaemia sufferers that he begins to suspect that a local tannery might be polluting the water supply with toxic chemicals. Now he is used to quick in and out judicial procedures, high profit low costs. This case is the reverse. He knows that to bring a civil suit against a large-scale entity is rife with risk and costs, but he convinces his colleagues to take it on. The opponents have hired the services of the experienced "Facher" (Robert Duvall) who knows exactly how to play the system. He is an expert at dragging things out and protracting the entire legal process until his antagonists run out of money, or maybe even the will to live. With the costs mounting and the court case showing no sign of concluding, he and his team face bankruptcy. Can they get a settlement in time? It's all a rather plodding drama with little by way of excitement to stimulate the attention. Sure, the atrocity is ghastly but the dramatisation of the scenario surrounding it is rather exemplified by a rather weak contribution from Stephen Fry as the geology guru and an over-cooked contribution from William H. Macy as his increasingly frustrated partner. Duvall does the cynical and exploitative lawyer pretty well, but he doesn't really feature enough to enliven this and at almost two hours long, it's really just a showcase for Travolta and not much of one at that. Essentially it's a watchable enough television movie that shines quite a powerful light on the injustice of the American justice system, but that's about it.

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by CinemaSerf

Based on a true story, John Travolta portrays an ambulance chasing lawyer whose company takes 40% of any settlement they get for their clients following accidents in the workplace, or during surgery, or on the road etc. It's when he becomes...

reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 6

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2024-04-16

Based on a true story, John Travolta portrays an ambulance chasing lawyer whose company takes 40% of any settlement they get for their clients following accidents in the workplace, or during surgery, ...

read more