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Absence of Malice (1981)

19/11/1981 (US)Drama, Romance1h 56m
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In America can a man be guilty until proven innocent?

Overview

Megan Carter is a reporter duped into running an untrue story on Michael Gallagher, a suspected racketeer. He has an alibi for the time his crime was allegedly committed—but it involves an innocent party. When he tells Carter the truth and the newspaper runs it, tragedy follows, forcing Carter to face up to the responsibilities of her job when she is confronted by Gallagher.

    Top Billed Cast

    1. Sally Field

      Sally Field

      Megan Carter

    2. Paul Newman

      Paul Newman

      Michael Colin Gallagher

    3. Bob Balaban

      Bob Balaban

      Elliott Rosen

    4. Melinda Dillon

      Melinda Dillon

      Teresa Perrone

    5. Luther Adler

      Luther Adler

      Santos Malderone

    6. Barry Primus

      Barry Primus

      Robert Waddell

    7. Josef Sommer

      Josef Sommer

      McAdam

    8. John Harkins

      John Harkins

      Davidek

    9. Don Hood

      Don Hood

      James A. Quinn

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    • Reviews 1
    P

    A review by Peter McGinn

    9.0
    Written by Peter McGinn on Sep 19, 2020

    Sidney Pollack has directed a lot of excellent movies but Absence of Malice, one of his lower profile efforts, is my favorite Pollack film. Paul Newman is excellent, of course, and Sally Fields holds her own portraying a reporter who is both ambitious and caring. The supporting cast is also good, especially the late Wilford Brimley as the razor sharp tobacco chewing “aw shucks“ Officer of the court late in the movie. In a way, this is a thinking man’s revenge film, without the violence. The Paul Newman character attempts to use the ambition and the zeal of those who have targeted him agains...

    StatusReleased

    Original LanguageEnglish

    Budget$12,000,000.00

    Revenue$40,716,963.00

    Keywords

    • murder
    • prosecutor
    • newspaper reporter
    • labor union
    • legal thriller