Absence of Malice
by Sydney Pollack
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Bob Balaban, Luther Adler, Melinda Dillon, Paul Newman, Sally FieldDirector: Sydney Pollack
Brand: SONY PICTURES HOME ENT
Cinematographer: Owen Roizman
Producer: Sydney Pollack
Editor: Sheldon Kahn
Producer: Ronald L. Schwary
Writer: David Rayfiel
Writer: Kurt Luedtke
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 1.0; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0; Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 1.0
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 116 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-12-02
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Absence of Malice
Movie Review: Brilliant performances by Paul Newman and Wilford Brimley
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a tremendously good movie. It focuses on the harm that an overreaching Federal Government and an irresponsible press can inflict on an innocent private citizen. Paul Newman plays Michael Gallagher, an honest but tough private citizen whose deceased father was a bootlegger and loan shark. A viciously ambitious FBI agent leaks it to the press that Michael Gallagher is under investigation for the death of a labor leader. The press runs with it (Sallie Field, in a competent but not great performance) and suddenly Gallagher's life is being besmirched on the front page of the newspapers. As this process continues lives are ruined, Gallagher's business is decimated, and more would be telling. The storyline here never drags, and every scene is critical to the story. This film is quite literally riveting.
Wilford Brimley makes a fabulous entrance into this film at the end, and without giving anything away, it is a wonderful performance by Brimley, who appears to be the only character here who is truly interested in either common sense or justice. The way he makes sense out of a terrible miscarriage of justice is heart-warming. If only real life worked that way. The rest of the supporting cast is excellent. I was not impressed with Field, in this role. She seemed one-dimensional and not really the right character type for this role. Nor was the chemistry between Newman and Field of much use to the story.
The highlight of this film are the performances by Newman and Brimley. Newman is perfect as the rough-hewn but honest Michael Gallagher, and Brimley, as discussed, is brilliant. The real message of this film is the importance of a responsible press and responsible Federal agents. There are too few of either. This film is as relevant as today's headlines and always will be.
A five-star film in all respects. RJB.
Summary of Absence of Malice
HIGH-MINDED STORY ABOUT THE HARM THAT NEWS MEDIA CAN INFLICT.The ethics of the press are roundly slapped around in an entertaining if not always believable drama from director Sydney Pollack. Sally Field is the Miami reporter who is set up to leak information on a dead-end murder investigation. A sneaky government official (a marvelous, rubber-band-spinning Bob Balaban) provides the information that implies liquor distributor Paul Newman is under investigation. When the story runs, it uncorks a legal quagmire that puts the spotlight on presumably innocent lives. As the lawyers explain, the paper's story is accurate, even though it may be untrue. The details of the story are sharply drawn by first-time screenwriter and former reporter Kurt Luedtke (who later went on to win an Oscar scripting Pollack's Out of Africa); the film could be used in a Media Ethics 101 class. Newman secretly counterattacks in a clever plot to derail the process that quickly encompasses his jittery friend (Oscar nominee Melinda Dillon). Field's continuing ethical gaps--including falling in love with her subject--stretch the film's credibility. Then again, who wouldn't fall for Paul Newman in the Florida sun? --Doug Thomas
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