This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 11th, 2007 at 9:15 am and is filed under A, Drama, Movie Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Director: Sydney Pollack
Starring: Paul Newman, Sally Field, Bob Balaban, Melinda Dillon, Wilford Brimley
This Sydney Pollack classic is a little dated now, but still has strong performers with a captivating story that holds even more relevance today than it did upon its release a quarter century ago. Nominated for three Oscars, it was well received upon release, but has slipped off into obscurity, unfortunately. Instead, it should be required viewing for all the members of today’s media who fall on stories like scavengers on a dead lamb with little regard for fairness and who is hurt.
Paul Newman is Michael Gallagher, the son of a deceased gangster, who finds himself the target of a news story that identifies him as a murder suspect and then confronts the reporter played by Sally Field which leads to a relationship between the two. This sets off a chain of events that leads to tragedy for a friend of Gallagher‘s, played by Melinda Dillon in an Oscar nominated role. All of this is followed by chess-like moves toward payback by those involved.
Absence of Malice is an intriguing and fairly original (by Hollywood standards) story with a social message about responsibility that is even more relevant today than it was when the film was released. Those who don’t mind older films and enjoy Paul Newman’s work should check this one out, but it’s dated look would not give it wide-spread appeal today, despite it’s strengths.
