Absence of Malice
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Movie Reviews of Absence of Malice
Movie Review: I'm used to dealing with girlfriends
Summary: 5 Stars
My Dad loved this movie. When he passed away last year I inheirited several boxes of videos and this was in it. I saw it again a few weeks ago.
Newman is a wonderful actor. I see him and whether it's 'Cool Hand' or Frank Galvin ("Verdict") or here Michael Gallagher, I think of the greatest praise for books that don't waste your time, "economy." And Newman always has economy of motion and economy of speech. Nothing is wasted.
Here Sydney Pollack (have you seen this guy's resume? Just the movies CURRENTLY filming or in post production) wrestles with the conscience of the press. And what a great time to see this movie again.
Mike Gallagher is a liquor distributor whose father was a gangster. But Mike isn't. Sally Field is a stoolie so to speak for a mafia criminal syndicate indicting Miami prosecutor (Bob Balaban). She crucifies Newman with a story on gang connections, of which the facts are accurate but the story untrue.
An interesting observation on the power of the press. That she does so is based upon the judicial immunity of the press if one writes with 'an absence of malice.' Always good. We missed the power of Ms. Field, probably overlooked in the memories of the flying nun (See 'Norma Rae'). As Redford, Sundance in another great Newman flick says, 'some mistakes you never stop paying for.' 5 stars. Larry Scantlebury
Movie Review: One of the most important movies ever made...
Summary: 5 Stars
I can't improve on the first sentence from W.Corse's excellent 2/3/05 review:
"Absence of Malice is one of my all-time favorites, and the first "older" movie that I grabbed when it was finally released on DVD. In my opinion this is one film that should be required viewing for every journalism major in the USA. "
Some reviewers' comments seem unwarranted:
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(1) The movie is "slow"? (Not if you're paying attention to Paul Newman's brick-by-brick implementation of an utterly brilliant revenge.)
(2) Sally Fields doesn't look too good? (I think she looks better in this film than she's ever looked.)
(3) The "attraction" between Newman/Field is silly/implausible/the film's weak spot? (I couldn't disagree more. The scenes with these two are some of the best written/best acted you'll ever see: the uneasy tentativeness, attraction sparring with distrust. Is Newman using Fields? Fields using Newman? Both? Neither? I'm still not sure.)
One reviewer called it the ultimate "get even" story, and--along w/The Shawshank Redemption- it is just that. The scenes of the final hearing, Wilfred Brimley presiding, belong on the short list of Great Movie Denouements.
The media pretty much ignored it when it came out (go figure :o). It was a little before its time, but it will outlast them all.
Movie Review: ABSENCE OF AWESOME!
Summary: 5 Stars
...and by 'Absence Of Awesome', I mean quite the opposite. This movie IS awesome! Paul Newman ignites the screen with kerosene soaked he-man sexiness. Those blue eyes may seem cold, but they burn through you like a small child using a magnified glass to burn a small ant on the pavement at recess! Sally Field is as radiant as a Jamaican sunrise as she splashes her acting abilities throughout the movie like a farmer sowing seed in his freshly plowed field! The plot is as complex as Einstien's theory of relativity, and with the same effect: once completed, both the movie and the theory of relativity result in an atomic expolsion that can bend time and space. There isn't actually an explosion at the end of the movie, per se, but perhaps in the director's cut he'll put one in. I can't sing my praises ENOUGH for this movie, but if I DID, it would be a chorus line of dancing girls kickin' out a medley of showtunes with ME as the lead, wearing a sequined blue suit and a curly moustache singing my own falsetto version of 'Workin' In a Coalmine' (The Devo Version).Movie Review: "You got your selves."
Summary: 5 Stars
Elliott Rosen is an obsessive prosecutor who is desperate to get some inside info on the "mob." He steps in to a moral grey area in his pursuit. Knowing that Michael Colin Gallagher (Paul Newman) is innocent of any crime he plans to push him into finding out who did it. The plan is simple he will leak the false fact out, through reporter Megan Carter (Sally Field), that Gallagher is being investigated. This information has a negative impact on Gallagher's business. Further pursuit leads to a death of the innocent. Naturally the paper that prints this has no intention of retracting. Gallagher finds a unique solution. See if you can spot it.
This movie does not make an immediate impact on you with the exception of Brimley's final confrontation speech. However repeated viewing brings out the subtleties that will make this one of your favorite movies for years to come.
Fat Man and Little Boy
Movie Review: "Creative" writing by a newspaper reporter..
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a typical "minding his own business" fellow that gets caught up in a push to learn more about who caused the death of a local kingpin. News writer gets "hint" of who might know (possibly our businessman; named Gallagher. Articles published about Gallagher caused his business to falter and caused him a lot of grief. In his quest to overcome, he not only brought down the newspaper writer, but he also was able to totally discredit all the investigaters involved. Sally Fields did an excellent job of portraying a gullable young reporter seeking to make a name for herself. Paul Newman played an excellent role as Galagher. Wilford Brimley was his usual self, playing a pivitol role as an FBI District Agent sent to fix things. Very entertaining movie; it gets replayed frequently.