Absence of Malice
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Movie Reviews of Absence of Malice
Movie Review: Absence of Malice
Summary: 5 Stars
Have watched it three times already.....thanks for being so speedy with the delivery.Movie Review: Great Performances
Summary: 4 Stars
"Absence of Malice" has so many excellent performances from so many first rate actors that it's hard to know where to begin. But let's begin at the top, with the performance of Wilford Brimley, who in a brief 10 minute appearance as a Department of Justice official, steals the show. Brimley has been in nearly 100 films, starting out in "True Grit" (1969) and giving us memorable performances in "The Firm" (1993), "Cocoon" (1985), "The Natural" (1984) and "The China Syndrome." He's best known as the TV spokesman for Liberty Mutual and Quaker Oats, where he says "It's the right thing to do" which is a line right from this film.
The film stars Paul Newman and Sally Field, and features Melinda Dillon, Josef Sommer, Bob Balaban, and Luther Adler.
For Paul Newman this 1981 film came at the height of his career. He had 5 Oscar nominations in his belt and 4 more to go, including his sole win ("The Color of Money", 1986). Sally Field was also at the top of her game having just won the Oscar for "Norma Rae" (1979). Both stars put in great performances.
Melinda Dillon was nominated as Best Supporting Actress for her role in this film, and was also nominated for "Close Encounters" (1977) in which co-star Bob Baladan also appears. She worked in the Group Theatre (as did co-star Luther Adler). She's made a few dozen films including "Slap Shot" (with Paul Newman) and "Harry and the Hendersons" (1987)
Josef Sommer plays a wise editor at the paper when Field works. Sommer has appeared in more than 100 films and TV shows, including "Dirty Harry" (1971), "The Front" (1976), "Close Encounters" (1977), and "Witness" (1985). He's played the President ("X-Men: The Last Stand"), Woodrow Wilson ("Young Indiana Jones"), Joseph Kennedy Sr. ("A Woman Named Jackie"), Gerald Ford ("The Betty Ford Story),and Franklin Roosevelt ("The Kennedys of Massachusetts"). He usually plays the good guy, but he showed us he is equally capable of playing the bad guy as Harrison Ford's crooked superior officer in "Witness".
Bob Baladan has given us memorable performances in more than 50 films. He was nominated for an Oscar in 2002 as an actor ("Gosford Park") , twice nominated as a director by the DGA ("Bernard and Doris" and "Georgia O'Keefe") and nominated for a Tony as Best Actor for "The Inspector General." He had a recurring role on "Seinfeld" as Russell Dalrymple. Along with this film I think his best work was in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977).
Luther Adler is a multi-talented actor that moved gracefully between stage, TV and film. He was the brother of Stella Adler and worked with Lee Strasberg in the Group Theatre. He appeared in the remake of "M" (1951), played Hitler in "The Desert Fox" (1951), and played Paul Muni's colleague in "The Last Angry Man" (1959). "Absence of Malice" was his last film.
The film is directed by Sydney Pollack. Pollack was 5 times nominated for an Oscar, and won once ("Out of Africa"). He often works with Robert Redford (8 films). Pollack directed such memorable films as "Jeremiah Johnson" (1972), "Tootsie" (1982), and "Out of Africa" (1982), He said of Paul Newman - "You can feel his intelligence, you can see him thinking."
The film is not only compelling as a film, it also provides a good look behind the scenes at a newspaper. Other films to lift the veil include "The Front Page" (1934), "Citizen Kane" (1941) "All the President's Men" (1976), "Deadline USA" (1952) , "Sweet Smell of Success" (1957), and "Ace in the Hole" (1951). Like "Sweet Smell" this film looks at the abuses of the media, and perhaps more than any other film, it shows that the subject is complex.
As good as the film is, it's far from perfect. The romantic subplot between Field and Newman is out of place and adds little to the plot. The film exposes problems with government and the media, and then suggests that a white knight will come charging in (Wilford Brimley) and save the day, which most times is not the case. And the ending is a little weak.
This is a film that will appeal to almost everyone, and the plethora of excellent performances only adds to the value.
Movie Review: Paul Newman tries to teach the Fourth Estate a needed lesson
Summary: 4 Stars
If Woodward & Bernstein brought down the Imperial Presidency of Richard Nixon by exposing Watergate, which is arguably a good thing, then it introduced the era of "Gotcha" journalism. The press in this country is considered the fourth estate and it certainly has started acting like another branch of the government with the key difference that nobody checks or balances it. In "Absence of Malice," Sydney Pollack's indictment of the power of the press in the modern era, one man is given good reason to fight the system.
Michael Colin Gallagher (Paul Newman) is the son of a Mafia boss, long dead, who know owns and runs a liquor warehouse. He knows nothing about anything, but Elliott Rosen (Bob Balaban), the leader of a Justice Department Strike Force who is getting nowhere in southern Florida, leaks a fake story that Gallagher is the subject of an investigation. Smelling blood in the water, reporter Megan Carter (Sally Field) goes after the story that is not really there. Gallagher's life is exposed to the world and as the story that is not there grows it destroys the life of an innocent, Teresa Perrone (Melinda Dillon). At that point Gallagher concocts a plan to bring down everybody, simply by letting them do exactly what they want to do in a nice example of how to give a lot of people enough rope to hang themselves.
Unfortunately there the script requires Newman and Field to go through the motions for one of the more unbelievable romances in movie history, which only gets in the way of the focus of the story. You can never believe that she sees him as anything more than a story any more than you can accept that he is able to look past what she is trying to do to see a woman worth loving. Certainly that set up is not necessary for the powerful scene where Gallagher lays hands on Carter to show her exactly how many damage a human being writing a story on a computer can do to another person. But even then, the script asks us to believe that the spark between these two has not been wholly extinguished, and that is not something I can do.
But "Absence of Malice" is more than saved by the film's final scene where Gallagher's trap succeeds brilliantly and Wilford Brimley shows up as Asst. U.S. Atty. Gen. James A. Wells to put the pieces together and dispense a little judicial justice. Carter does too little too late in terms of trying to do something noble, but we are given to believe that she has learned her lesson, although I would certainly like more evidence than this. But even if she goes straight there are plenty of other reporters willing to play the game knowing that they will rarely be held accountable or have to play for any mistakes that they make. This is a depressing film, not just because it tells a depressing story, but because the grim reality it portrays of how the press functions in this country is distressingly true.
"Absence of Malice" received Oscar nominations for Paul Newman as Best Actor in a Leading Role, although his solid performance is nothing special, and for Melinda Dillon as Best Actress in a Supporting Role as the most memorable character in the film. The scene in which she tries to hide from her family the fact that her name and life are being tossed around on the front page of the newspaper is both chilling and heartbreaking. Kurt Luedtke was nominated for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen and except for the unnecessary and problematic romantic subplot there is plenty of gravity to the story and scenes. Watching this movie again makes me think that the time has come for somebody to go after the state of journalism today and use something more pointed that the stiletto Pollack employs in this 1981 film.
Movie Review: A great film that only gets better with age
Summary: 4 Stars
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.
Hollywood movies very rarely criticize the press (except those deemed too far to the right politically), so this film was in an exclusive category from the beginning. The powerful story and the restrained, polished performances from its excellent cast carry as big of a punch now as they did a quarter-century ago when the film was first released. Paul Newman seems tailor-made for his role as the adult son of a famous mob figure, and Sally Fields is her typical annoying self as the headline-seeking thirtyish reporter who is fed an untrue story about Newman's character by a conniving federal investigator (Bob Balaban, who's very effective in the bad-guy role) and runs with it, setting off a chain of events that eventually wrecks several people's lives, including her own.
The supporting cast is uniformly excellent: Melinda Dillon in a rare dramatic role as Newman's sweet, mentally slow sister who unwittingly reveals her darkest secret to the world by talking to Fields; Balaban's obsessive intensity makes you think he's actually in more scenes than he is; and Wilford Brimley as Balaban's boss almost steals the show when he rides into town to clean up the mess. It is Brimley's scenes as the Asst. U.S. Attorney (with that nice country drawl) that brings the movie's tension to its ultimate climax, and justice is finally done, although it's too little, too late for most of the characters.
I think this film was misunderstood by many who saw it back in 1981 because the majority of the public at that time still held the mainstream media and its minions in high regard. The scene where Brimley responds to the newspaper's lawyer, who invokes the First Amendment when Fields is pressed about her sources, shocked many viewers at that time and probably still does even today: "The First Amdendment doesn't say that, counselor...the privilege [protecting a source] doesn't exist." This concept was at the very heart of movies like All the President's Men (Who was "Deep Throat"?), and Brimley shoots it down in 5 seconds.
The ultimate point of the movie, that publicity can destroy innocent people's lives, was not as well understood in the early 80's as it is today. Field's proud reporter and her equally-arrogant editor weren't evil, just selfish and sloppy. Nor is Field's character stupid; she just never stopped to think that Balaban's unscrupulous investigator was using her for his own ends because she was focused on making her deadline. (There's subtle hints of ageism when her boss tells her "You'd make a fine editor" and Fields snaps back "I'm not over the hill yet!" while glancing at the twentyish blond reporter nearby, knowing that this woman is her replacement.)
This film is rich in subtleties and textures that can only be enjoyed after repeated viewings. The fact that Newman's quiet "everyman" hero finally sets up everyone else for their inevitable fall, then gets to watch the implosion first-hand, is merely icing on a very rich and tasty cake. I urge anyone who's never seen this film to buy it today! You won't be sorry.
Movie Review: Field and Newman make a great team in this intriguing plot-boiler...
Summary: 4 Stars
With a tightly woven internal plot that will keep your interest and certainly satisfy your curiosity, `Absence of Malice' makes up for its Soap Operish approach to its main characters. That is really my only complaint with the film actually. The acting is all either very good or at least effective, and the overall plot is very nicely constructed; and even the predictable and somewhat unnecessary (and entirely unbelievable) love affair is entertaining at least.
Fact is, this is a very good movie.
Attacking the media and its `no holds bar' approach to `serving the community', `Absence of Malice' pins reporter against civilian as Megan Carter writes a story (under some corrupted influence) that paints Michael Colin Gallagher in an unbecoming light. The thing is, the story is accurate but it's just not entirely truthful. It's misleading and destructive yet it isn't something that Carter is willing to retract. As Michael fights to clear his name he gets the cogs turning in his pursuit of revenge.
I actually think that the script is the films biggest ally as well as its biggest enemy. The central plot is practically genius but the way it handles the relationship between Carter and Gallagher was just far too sappy. I didn't like the whole `falling in love' aspect, for I felt it diminished the intensity and realism of the overall film. It distracted the audience from the heart of the film by giving it an ulterior plot.
Thankfully it evens out enough to remain engaging and rewarding.
The acting is very good from everyone involved. I love me some Sally Field, and here she captures her characters struggle for the truth very well. You can see that she wants to believe everyone yet knows that she cannot. Paul Newman is always good, so there really isn't more to say about that. The thing with Newman is that he is so good all of the time that when he isn't `blowing our minds' we can tend to overlook his performance. We expect him to be good, so if he doesn't push it then he can go unnoticed. I kind of see that here. He does a very good job, as always, but there is nothing extraordinary about this performance. He builds fine layers of subtle emotional turmoil, and he is impressive (so don't for one second think I'm berating his performance) but to be honest this is far from his best work. The supporting players are all effective. Bob Balaban is remarkably seedy, Melinda Dillon is believably unstable and Wilford Brimley all but steals the show in his very small yet important scene at the films close.
So, I totally recommend this film. It could have (and really should have) been better, but you can't expect perfection every time. You can look at most movies and see where the director or writer could have made changes to make it just that much better, but when a film is this interesting, this engaging and this satisfying you just have to put those complaints beside you and indulge yourself on pure entertainment.