Review of Civil Action, A

Introduction

In the small town of Woburn, north of Boston, children are dying. The likely cause is pollution in the water supply. Lawyer Jan Schlichtmann (John Travolta) takes the case thinking that it will be an easy source of big bucks. He is wrong.

On the DVD box, this is billed as the “Best Film of the Year!” by CNN. It’s not. It’s not particularly bad; it’s just not particularly good.

Video

Video transfer is fine and exhibits no noticeable flaws. In common with the rest of the film, the imagery demonstrates no flair or talent. Scene composition and cinematography are workmanlike, no more.

Audio

This is a dialogue driven film and, as such, doesn’t really need any flashy surround sound effects. Which is just as well because you don’t get any. The audio is DD 5.1 but there is nothing to give your speakers a workout. The dialogue is crisp and clear so there is no cause for complaint, but more effort could have been put into the ambience. The courtroom scenes could have been given some echo to indicate the size of the room, for example.

The score/soundtrack is forgettable. I don’t recall it being particularly bad; I just don’t remember anything much about it at all.

Features

You get the trailer. And you get a “production featurette”. This is essentially just the trailer again with a (very) few shots from behind the camera. Very dull.

Conclusion

This film is a great waste of acting talent. The only reason to rent/buy A Civil Action is the acting talent and John Travolta, William H Macy, John Lithgow and James Gandolfini all sleepwalk through this film. The blame lies with the plot. Based on a true story, this courtroom drama has a screenplay that would not do justice to a TV movie. It is cliched and trite and none of the characters are defined particularly well.

The only player who emerges with his reputation unscathed is Robert Duvall who is excellent as a quirky and jaded lawyer. His performance is excellent.

The big problem with the film is that it is dull. It’s not bad, as such, just boring. I couldn’t recommend it unless you are a fan or Robert Duvall.