A Civil Action (1998)
Directed by Steven Zaillian
Jan Schlickmann is a cynical lawyer who goes out to 'get rid of' a case, only to find out it is potentially worth millions. The case becomes his obsession, to the extent that he is willing to give up everything—including his career and his clients' goals—in order to continue the case against all odds.
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What critics compared A Civil Action to
"Erin Brockovich" is " Silkwood " ( Meryl Streep fighting nuclear wastes) crossed with " A Civil Action " ( John Travolta against pollution) plus Julia Roberts in a plunging neckline.
With a plot hook that was almost identically seen in 1998's "A Civil Action," yet focuses more on the central character than the former did on John Travolta, "Erin Brockovich," for all of its attributes, lacks urgency.
It bears a striking resemblance to another similarly-themed 1998 courtroom flick "A Civil Action".
Like 1998's A Civil Action , which traversed similar territory, Erin Brockovich is based on an actual case - a fact that makes the basic storyline all the more discomforting.
Plotwise, Erin Brockovich covers familiar territory: We’ve seen small underdog law firms take on the amoral practices of giant corporations in such movies as A Civil Action, starring John Travolta and also based on a true story, and The Rainmaker, starring Matt Damon and based on a John Grisham novel.
A little over a year ago, John Travolta starred in A Civil Action , a film based on a true story about a lawyer's long-shot crusade against a big business guilty of contaminating a small town's water supply.
…if you are a parent who favors thrillers or legal dramas like “A Civil Action” (1998), “Erin Brockovich” (2000) or “Dark Waters” (2019), you will love it.
Following the blueprint of legal dramas such as A Civil Action and Erin Brockovich, but by way of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Coyote vs Acme is an entertaining and surprisingly heartfelt family comedy.
Not since Steven Zaillian's underrated A Civil Action has a mainstream film about a corporate-legal ethical crusade fessed up to how little the most gratifying ending might actually impact the lives of average people.
Gilroy has a sardonic, rather than a melodramatic, view of life: Michael will never be an anti-pollution crusader like Julia Roberts’s Erin Brockovich or John Travolta’s lawyer in “A Civil Action.”
The villains, while correctly cartoonish, don't fare quite as well with Alan Cumming ("Company Man," "Get Carter") playing an odd sort of Captain Kangaroo mixed with Pee Wee Herman role, Tony Shalhoub ("Galaxy Quest," "A Civil Action") embodying his appropriately titled minion, and Robert Patrick ("All the Pretty Horses," "Terminator 2: Judgement Day") as the head villain.