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24 out of 30 people found the following review useful: Does Anyone Remember Maurice Nadjari?, 20 December 2005 Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York
For a while back in the seventies the hottest political property in New York State was one Maurice Nadjari. He was appointed a special prosecutor and ran up a big string of convictions of various figures on the New York scene. Then his convictions began being tossed out one by one until a once feared figure became a laughingstock. Turned out he used tactics very similar to those countenanced by Bob Balaban in this film. Nadjari turned out in the end to be worse than any of the people he was prosecuting. That's the message here, don't idealize some of these prosecutors on a white horse.Bob Balaban is part of the Justice Department Strike Force looking into the murder of a labor leader in Florida. It's been months and his investigation is yielding bupkis. So he tries some extralegal tactics.Paul Newman is the son of a reputed mobster, but who's been out of the rackets for years. But Balaban leaks to gullible reporter Sally Field that Newman is the target of his investigation. The idea is for Newman to go undercover and work to get information on his uncle, Luther Adler, who Balaban suspects.Newman's reputation is smashed and Balaban's actions lead to the death of Melinda Dillon who is a friend of Newman's. Paul Newman was nominated for Best Actor, but lost to Henry Fonda that year for On Golden Pond. Sally Field was at the height of her career. This film came right around the time she got her two Oscars for Norma Rae and Places in the Heart. The leads and cast are just fine. This turned out to be the farewell picture of Luther Adler, one of the great character actors in the history of film.However the two people this film really belongs to are Bob Balaban and Wilford Brimley. Balaban got his career role in this as Elliott Rosen of the Organized Crime Strike Force. He is truly one loathsome little creep. All it's about with him is getting another notch on his belt, another scalp for the lodgepole.And then there's Wilford Brimley. He's the big honcho from Washington, DC sent down to do damage control when it all blows up in their faces. He gathers all the principals together at the very end of the film, like Nick Charles would, and dispenses the justice accordingly. He's on the screen for about twenty unforgettable minutes.The office of prosecutor in our system is one of responsibility and should never be entrusted to any lightweights or any overly ambitious folks.
24 out of 32 people found the following review useful: How to outsmart a covey of smartasses, 13 August 2001 Author: helpless_dancer from Broken Bow, Oklahoma
Mighty good drama depicting corruption in the justice department intending, on the surface, to solve a crime, but, beneath the waters, to further political careers. Sally Field played the self centered, self deluded reporter perfectly against Newman's confused, angry victim. Worth seeing.
21 out of 27 people found the following review useful: Superb acting, plot construction, and message!, 17 March 1999 Author: Jim Seeden from Rio Grande City, TX
Start with Paul Newman and Sally Field and you don't need much more, but this film delivers a lot more. The plot takes some unexpected turns but develops logically and clearly with just enough suspence to keep viewers entranced. When concluded you realize how all elements of the plot are kept within reasonable bounds and how refreshing that is. Here's a film that relies on character development and an intriguing plot with an important message. No special effects, gore and bedroom scenes needed to make this a great movie.
16 out of 19 people found the following review useful: Compelling, 20 October 1998 Author: Gislef from Iowa City, IA
There's really no other word for it. I find the whole of this movie compelling, from Sally Fields' naivete to Paul Newman's innocent who turns the tables on his prosecutors, to the various supporting characters who all have their little niche. The best of all is Wilford Brimley, who gets to chew scenery and totally steal the scene he's in. It's an intelligent drama, addressing a subject as relevant today as it was in '81, with just enough humor to leaven the whole thing.
18 out of 25 people found the following review useful: Clever script, excellent performances, and a wry sense of humor, 29 March 2004 Author: tomreynolds2004 from Washington DC
This one hit too close for comfort for critics and the news organizations for whom they work. Paul Newman gives one of his top 15 lifetime performances (and for him, that's excellent) as Tommy Gallagher, the owner of a shipping company in Florida. When the joint murder investigation by the federal and state authorities goes nowhere, D. A. Elliot Rosen (Bob Balaban) sets up reporter Sally Field with evidence seemingly linking Gallagher to the murder. What follows is fast-paced, wry, and very well actor. Don't miss the chance to see the great Luther Adler in his last performance as Newman's mob-linked uncle.
10 out of 12 people found the following review useful: An important and great movie, 5 February 2005 Author: SHAWFAN from United States
I did not feel too much the reservations some of your commentators had about the acting of Newman and Fields. I thought they were fine. But of course the importance of this film lies (as so many others pointed out) in its expose of the inner workings of our justice and journalistic systems and their ability to wreak havoc in the lives of ordinary defenseless citizens. I rather thought this movie a precursor of television's Law and Order for that reason. For me among the movie's many touching and beautiful moments the most poignant was the scene in which the soon-to-be-suicidal young friend of Newman's receives at dawn on her lawn the freshly delivered newspaper she'd been waiting all night for and reads with horror the "outing" of her abortion for all to read and proceeds to gather up all the copies of the newspaper thrown onto the neighbors' lawns so as to stave off her moment of shame and disgrace with all the co-religionist people who know her including her family. It reminded me of the scene in Rattigan's Separate Tables in which the middle-aged molester of young girls finds his exploits reported in a neighboring village's newspaper which has been delivered to his hotel. He then tries to cut out the revealing story before it can be delivered to its subscriber. But he too fails to suppress the news and has to suffer the consequences of publicity in his private life. Absence of Malice is a great and important movie
18 out of 30 people found the following review useful: Absence of Feeling, 3 May 2003 Author: Rick41 from West Chester, Pa
This movie looks to have all the elements of a classic but somehow falls short. Unscrupulous prosecutor dupes reporter Field into creating (false) impression that businessman Newman was involved in a murder, in the hope that will somehow help his investigation. The lie has unexpected and tragic consequences, after which Newman turns the tables. Field is fine as liberated yet vulnerable thirty-something, Newman is also good if a little obscure in a difficult role; but Brimley as Asst US Attorney steals the show when he finally blows the whistle on everyone. Brimley's short time in this movie really is classic. The overall problem here is a little too much soapbox and not enough real emotion from nearly everyone.
7 out of 9 people found the following review useful: All the news that's fit to print (and then some), 1 October 2005 Author: Howlin Wolf from Oldham, Gtr Manchester, England.
This movie provides a clever insight into the principles the press live by. Reporters sometimes lose their basic humanity because they're not looking at the human interest, but at covering all the angles. What's newsworthy is what's in the public domain as fact, not gossip. It's definitely something to think about in this age when large sections of the media are intent on muckraking over the affairs of those who are deemed to be 'high-profile'...The movie asks us, though, to keep in mind that sometimes there's more going on than meets the eye, and that certain acts function as a means to an end. It can be seen as an extension of that great 70's movie tradition where acclaimed directors make polished films exposing high-level corruption. "Absence of Malice" is an involving exercise in paranoid mystery, with Newman in fine form as always, and Sally Field providing capable support.
5 out of 7 people found the following review useful: The Fourth Estate on trial, 23 February 2006 Author: krorie from Van Buren, Arkansas
Paul Newman and Sally Field, though somewhat opposites both in their roles as Michael Colin Gallagher and Megan Carter respectively and in real Hollywood life, mesh and make believable lovers. Megan tells Michael that she is 30 something and doesn't need courting to play in the hay. Michael retorts, "Maybe I do," and drives away. Megan winds up somewhat of a failure both as a newspaper hound and as a liberated female. Then along comes Wilford Brimley in a bit part and runs away with the show. That's saying a lot since the well chosen cast gives it all they've got including ace jobs by Bob Balaban and Melinda Dillon.The essence of the film is "What is the nature of truth?" What we read in the paper ain't necessarily so. Jibes are poked at bureaucrats too who certainly have problems determining what is truth. As long as the paperwork looks good then so goes the world. With the Horatio Alger success formula still around in the world of big government and big business, empire builders are a dime a dozen. Usually their asses are saved by cover ups and fall guys. In "Absence of Malice" the innocent victim outsmarts the bureaucrats and the Fourth Estate to bring the house of cards down, certainly an anomaly in the 21th century as it was in 1981, maybe even more so.Admittedly, the film becomes too preachy at times which not only grates on the nerves but also slows the picture down. Yet the well-written script and Sydney Pollack's knowing direction keep it from becoming a total disaster. Not on the level of Pollack's previous "Three Days of the Condor" or his next feature "Tootsie," "Absence of Malice" still packs a wallop.
6 out of 9 people found the following review useful: A great film that was ahead of its time, 3 February 2005 Author: bcorse from Wisconsin, USA
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Nearly a quarter-century after its release, Absence of Malice still packs an emotional wallop. One of the very few Hollywood films to level any kind of criticism at the American Press, specifically big-city newspapers, the story in many ways seems even more timely today (in 2005) than when it was made.Paul Newman gives one of his best performances in this film, and character actor Wilford Brimley became a household name thanks to his dramatic turn in the movie's climatic scene near the end. Sally Fields is simply herself, which makes her the weakest element of the entire film and the only reason not to give this classic effort a perfect 10.The sex is minimal, the physical violence practically non-existent (except for a short, tense scene between Newman and Fields) and the dialogue tight and gripping. Still worth your time, 25 years later.
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