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Absence of Malice (1981) Reviews

Absence of Malice (1981)
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In this legal drama from director Sydney Pollack, Sally Field stars as Megan, an ambitious newpaper reporter who, based on information from FBI investigator Rosen, played by Bob Balaban, writes a scathing article that implicates Gallagher, a reclusive business-owner played by Paul Newman, in the recent disappearance of a labor leader. When Gallagher confronts Megan and sets her straight, the two team together to prove his innocence and have a few romantic interludes along the way. Wilford Brimley and Melinda Dillon also star. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

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Starring:
Paul Newman, Sally Field, (more)
Director(s):
Sydney Pollack
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
PG
Format(s):
DVD  |  Blu-ray  | Digital SD
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Average Ratings

(7 member reviews)  

Member Reviews

Amy and Joseph E.

Loved this flick. It may be a bit slow, but it's not meant to be a hard-charging, full-speed-ahead movie. This movie comes on the heels of Watergate, and it explores the right of private citizens to maintain that privacy. It also deals with the government's right to investigate and leak info about individuals. The movie is much more layered that it first seems, and it demonstrates that people's actions (sometimes) have dire consequences. I liked it. Wilford Brimley shows up at the end and delivers a great performance as a down-home yet smart government lawyer.

Yes   |   No


Megan E.

Really interesting film, dated but still good. Field and the other actors give very good performances but Newman deserved the Oscar nod he received for this performance. What an amazing actor! Definitely worth watching!

Yes   |   No


HOWARLENE S W.

This movie kept my interest to the very end. It was a mind teaser - very thought provoking. The characters were well defined.

Yes   |   No


RoseAnn H.

Dated, disjointed, Fields and Newman as a couple is completely implausible, very dated sound track. Newman and Fields have both done so much better work than this, and similar story line is also done much better in other films. For a far better film also featuring Paul Newman, see The Verdict instead. Only thing I liked about this film was the time capsule feel of 70s & 80s era newsrooms; I was a journalist during that time and enjoyed reminiscing about how newspapers used to be run and put together.

Yes   |   No


Kristen C.

This film is rather slow-paced until its last half hour. Moreover, after the credits rolled, I still wasn't sure what "the point" of the movie was--there's little information given about any of the numerous characters, yet the plot alone struggles to hold your interest. I was disappointed, since Sally Fields is usually stellar. In this film, however, she fell a bit flat. Another note: this movie hardly seemed mere "PG" material to me--it contains one vivid scene where Fields' character is assaulted, as well as some other rather disturbing material.

Yes   |   No


Steven C.

Sally Field and Paul Newman play their parts well, but the story they play is dis-jointed. It's fun to see how the newspaper process worked 25 years ago, and strange to see chain smokers puffing away in the office, but those are not reason enough for most people to watch this film. Even politics and the press vs. the truth are a great topic - but again, not enough to recommend this film. I was disappointed, because there are so many good elements here but the story didn't knit them together very well. I get the feeling that this started as a book, and too many elements were lost in the process of editing it down to movie length. Fans of Paul Newman and Sally Field will still likely enjoy it, but more for the actors than for the story.

Yes   |   No


MARTIN T.

Very disjointed,dull, hard to follow, etc. Hard to believe Paul Newman, Sally Field, and Sidney Pollak could make a bad movie but they did!

Yes   |   No


 
 
 

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Member Reviews
Read all (7)
 
Amy and Joseph E.

Loved this flick. It may be a bit slow, but it's not meant to be a hard-charging, full-speed-ahead movie. This movie comes on the heels of Watergate, and it explores the right of private citizens to maintain that privacy. It also deals with the government's right to investigate and leak info about individuals. The movie is much more layered that it first seems, and it demonstrates that people's actions (sometimes) have dire consequences. I liked it. Wilford Brimley shows up at the end and delivers a great performance as a down-home yet smart government lawyer.

Yes   |   No

 
Megan E.

Really interesting film, dated but still good. Field and the other actors give very good performances but Newman deserved the Oscar nod he received for this performance. What an amazing actor! Definitely worth watching!

Yes   |   No

 
HOWARLENE S W.

This movie kept my interest to the very end. It was a mind teaser - very thought provoking. The characters were well defined.

Yes   |   No

 
Read All 7 Reviews
 

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