The Onion Field (1979)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Harold Becker

Writers:

Joseph Wambaugh (book)
Joseph Wambaugh (screenplay)

Release Date:

8 July 1980 (Norway)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

What Happened In The Onion Field Is True. But The Real Crime Is What Happened After.

Plot:

Greg Powell is a disturbed ex-con who recruits Jimmy Smith (aka Jimmy Youngblood), a petty thief, as his partner in crime...

Plot Keywords:

Trial | Thief | Lake | Cheating On Boyfriend | Oral Sex

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win

Cast

John Savage	...	Det. Karl Francis Hettinger
James Woods	...	Gregory Ulas Powell
Franklyn Seales	...	Jimmy Lee 'Youngblood' Smith
Ted Danson	...	Det. Ian James Campbell
Ronny Cox	...	Det. Sgt. Pierce R. Brooks
David Huffman	...	Dist. Atty. Phil Halpin
Christopher Lloyd	...	Jailhouse lawyer
Dianne Hull	...	Helen Hettinger
Priscilla Pointer	...	Chrissie Campbell
Beege Barkette	...	Greg's woman (as Beege Barkett)
Richard Herd	...	Beat Cop
Le Tari	...	Emmanuel McFadden
Richard Venture	...	Det. Glenn Bates
Lee Weaver	...	Billy
Pat Corley	...	Jimmy's Lawyer #2

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Canada:18A | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:16 (1980) | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Boskovich Farms, Valencia, California, USA

Company:

Black Marble Productions

Trivia:

The cars used in scene between the cops and thieves were the actual cars from the case.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Karl Hettinger is talking into the patrol car microphone, the microphone is turned around and he is actually talking into the back of it.

Quotes:

[the two are eating at a diner]
Det. Karl Hettinger: You feel like another piece?
Det. Ian Campbell: Nah, I just got my weight below 200.
Det. Karl Hettinger: At least you're tall enough to carry it. Married life's making me feel like an avocado with feet.

Movie Connections:

References The Night of the Hunter (1955)

One of the best films of its kind.

"The Onion Field" is an adaptation of the novel by Joseph Wambaugh (scripted by Wambaugh himself) which itself was based on a true story from the 1960's.

Two young police detectives, Karl Hettinger (John Savage) and Ian Campbell (Ted Danson, in his film debut) have a fateful encounter with two young criminals, Greg Powell (James Woods) and Jimmy "Youngblood" Smith (Franklyn Seales). The cops are driven to a remote onion field where Campbell is cold-bloodedly executed.

The criminals are picked up shortly after, but Hettinger's nightmare isn't over. He is constantly criticized by his fellow officers for handing over his gun and otherwise doing things officers are trained NOT to do, and he suffers terrible depression and guilt, even becoming a small-time thief at one point (he's looking to be punished).

Meanwhile, the criminals manage to avoid justice for many years as the years drag by with multiple trials, motions, and appeals.

"The Onion Field" is made without standard flashy Hollywood gimmicks; it's an honest, straightforward and compelling true crime / drama that warrants emotional involvement and does it without manipulation. The story is enough to make me feel sad. It would be impossible not to feel something for Hettinger.

It's also very well acted by virtually the entire cast (look for early appearances by such familiar faces as William Sanderson ('Newhart'), Pat Corley ('Murphy Brown') and John de Lancie ('Star Trek: The Next Generation')).

All in all, I sympathized with Hettinger. No, he did not react the way that cops are expected to; he reacted as a normal, scared human being would. I don't think that he should have been judged (quite) as harshly as he was.

Wambaugh certainly knows the territory, having once been a real-life cop himself.

A noteworthy achievement for all concerned.

8/10