48 lines
3.9 KiB
Plaintext
48 lines
3.9 KiB
Plaintext
big courtroom thrillers have always captivated america .
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o . j .
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simpson , tom capano , the menendez brothers .
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all these names are synonymous to americans and courtrooms .
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and , of course , courtroom dramas are not a new topic to hollywood .
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whether it be john grisham's thrilling novels or television's famous dramas , the courtroom has always provided big bucks .
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so when i rented a civil action , i was expecting the film to be like the rainmaker , a brilliant law film that kept viewers on the edge of their seat .
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however , what i saw in a civil action was far different from what i expected , a major surprise , but fortunately , a pleasant one .
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john travolta always seems to come up big when you least expect it .
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no one expected him to light up the screen in grease , nor in saturday night fever .
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but , whenever he gets knocked down , he always seems to come back fighting .
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a civil action is not john's best performance , but a strong one that could rival any performance in 1998 .
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travolta proves that a normal and believable performance can vault a film into oscar nominations .
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his performance is not flashy , nor memorable , just solid .
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if he delivered the only solid performance , this film would still be average .
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luckily , he has a strong supporting cast .
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william h . macy is probably one of the most underrated actors in hollywood .
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he continues to deliver great performances one after the other , but he is still regarded as a secondary actor .
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in a civil action , he delivers yet another great performance as travolta's paranoid and greedy accountant .
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he is not a lovable character , but a character who stands out in your mind whenever you think of the film .
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he is not one of the big time lawyers , just a measly accountant .
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but , he delivers one of the best supporting roles of 1998 , but there is actually someone better in a civil action .
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robert duvall is also an underrated actor .
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he gets many leading roles , but is never heard when you hear of big box office draws like tom hanks , brad pitt and jim carrey .
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duvall has a supporting role in this as a lawyer of the co-defendant .
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duvall is magical in this role .
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he is the wise teacher , who not only battles it out in the courtroom , but also manages to teach every major player a lesson , in his own twisted way .
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in many non-comedic films , directors are always trying to find a way to implement a touch of comedy , to keep the audience on their toes .
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unfortunately , they usually just key in on one character whose main objective is to be funny ( jar-jar binks , anyone ? ) .
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however , this usually backfires because the character is never fully developed .
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this is not the case in a civil action .
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they have comedy coming from all sides .
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whether it be duvall's inane questions or macy's sharp anger , the laughs come in a steady pace .
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granted , it's not roll in the aisle funny , but it provides a nice addition to the film .
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the plot is terrific- somewhat .
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the setup is nice with the film actually starting with a victory in the courtroom .
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then the case that will make or break jan ( travolta ) 's career rears its ugly head .
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they find out the goldmine involved with the case and wind up taking it .
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however , budgets soon flounder and jan finds himself in deep debt .
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i will not spoil the rest , although i must speak of the one downside to the film .
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the courtroom debates are great , but the actual problem they are fighting for is never fully explored .
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it left me somewhat confused , although the rest of the film is terrific .
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all in all , john travolta is back yet again in this great film .
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his supporting cast , consisting of macy and duvall , turn in tremendous performances , which ease the load on travolta .
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the film is smart , witty and thought provoking .
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not only does it gauge in-court battles , but also the various tolls it can take on the major players .
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a civil action provides everything a drama lover craves .
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