A Civil Action
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Steven Zaillian
John Travolta
Robert Duvall
William H. Macy
Tony Shalhoub
James Gandolfini
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Jan Schlichtmann, a lawyer with a desire to achieve financial and material success without losing his belief in the justice system, agrees to take on two powerful corporations (Beatrice Foods and W.R. Grace) when members of eight families in the Boston industrial suburb of Woburn are stricken with leukemia due to toxic poisoning in their tap water. Instead of being a quick-win case, it becomes a financial black hole into which Schlictmann pours $2.5 million as he fights for years against the bottomless coffers of the corporate world. Though he eventually negotiates an $8,000,000 settlement from W.R. Grace, he falls into a personal state of financial ruin in the process.
Director
Steven Zaillian
Cast
John Travolta
Robert Duvall
William H. Macy
Tony Shalhoub
James Gandolfini
Jay Patterson
Ned Eisenberg
Mike Biase
Caroline Carrigan
Kevin Fry
Alan Wilder
Molly Allen
Bruce Holman
Sydney Pollack
John Lithgow
Peter Jacobson
Gene Wolande
Ryan Janis
Daniel Von Bargen
Paul Richards
Taylor Bernard
Catherine Leahan
Gregg Shawzin
Margot Rose
Stephen Fry
Gregg Joseph Monk
Haskell Vaughn Anderson
Tracy Miller
Dan Hedaya
Mary Mara
David M. Barrett
Rob Mcelhenney
Richard Calnan
Brian Turk
Michael P. Byrne
Pearline Fergerson
Larry A Cornick
Bruce Norris
Kathleen Quinlan
Paul Ben-victor
Rikki Klieman
Kaiulani Lee
Paul Hewitt
David Thornton
Elizabeth Burnette
John Lafayette
Robert Cicchini
Charlie Stavola
Harout Beshlian
Zeljko Ivanek
Paul Desmond
Denise Dowse
Charles Levin
Josh Pais
Clayton Landey
Sayda Alan
Juli Donald
Sam Travolta
Howie Carr
Christopher Stevenson
Byron Jennings
Scott Weintraub
Crew
Richard Abate
Noah Ackerman
Dr. Todd Adelman
Alejandro Aguilar
Karine Albano
David W Alstadter
Michael Amundson
Christopher Assells
Bill Babington
Scott Baker
Thomas M Baker
James Barrett
Steve Bartek
Steve Bartek
Stacy M. Basil
Kathy Bates
Richard A Benedetto
Carlos Bermudez
Taylor Bernard
Erik Bernstein
John Bettencourt
Katherine E Beyda
Katherine E Beyda
Jennifer Blair
Ralph Blane
David Bomba
Bono
Gary Bourgeois
Joseph Bouvier
Bryan Bowen
Bob Bowman
Joey Box
T.r. Boyce
Eric Boyle
Julian Bratolyubov
Joseph Braus
Tom Brewer
Arnold Brown
Jonathan Brown
Jonathan Brown
Clyde E Bryan
Michelle Buhler
Melinda Bullion
Lola Caldwell
Sergeant Richard Calnan
Tori Capezza
Lon Caracappa
Daniel Allen Carlin
Brent Carlton
Caroline Carrigan
Paul Celluci
Jordi Chapdelaine
Doc D Charbonneau
S Todd Christensen
Gary Christie
Edmund P Chrostowski
Larry E Clark
Adam Clayton
Guy Clayton
John A. Cohen
Curtis Collins
Ry Cooder
Jennifer Corey
Dan Courchaine
Margaret Cox
Ronald Wayne Cox
Billy Craft
Marianne Crescenzi
Robert Cuddy
Jimmy Cullen
Shay Cunliffe
Lee Cunningham
Hallie D'amore
Merrilee A Dale
Katherine Davis
Robin Dawson
R. Michael De Chellis
Michael Diieso
Perry Dodgeson
Kenneth J. Doyle Jr.
Tracey A Doyle
Donna M Duffy
Richard Dwan
John Egan
Danny Elfman
Danny Elfman
Mike Elmendorf
John Emory
Jennifer Engel
Timothy Grant Engle
Monique Escamilla
Peter Evangelatos
Guy Faria
Lisa Jean Felski
Robert Fernandez
Mark Fitzgerald
Kenneth D Fitzgibbon
Paul Flinchbaugh
Bob Francis
Roberta Frankel
Kyra Friedman
Christopher G Garcia
Michael Gastaldo
Hector Gika
Raymond Ginther
Edward Goemans
Carmine Goglia
Henry J Golas
Marshall Goldberg
Brian Goldby
Jane Goldsmith
Raymond Gonzales
Paul W Gorgine
Al Green
Josh Greenstein
Wylie Young Griffin
David Gropman
Pascal Guillemard
Kenneth Haber
Stephen Hagen
Conrad Hall
Conrad W. Hall
Jay Handlin
Jonathan Harr
Charles Harrington
Peter N Harris
Dan Hegeman
Phil Hetos
Mabon Hodges
Chris Hogan
Tim Hogan
Tod Holcomb
Mark N Hopkins
Jody Hummer
Sara Hyoun
Caroline Irons
Craig Jaeger
William Jakielaszek
David James
Whitney James
Chris Jargo
Meg Montagnino Jarrett
John R Jensen
William C Jones
Jeff Joy
Susan V Kalinowski
Artie Kane
Avy Kaufman
Michael Kaufman
Constance A Kazmer
Thomas Keenan
Randy Kelley
Ariel Kemp
Larry Kemp
Dan Kerr
Mara Kerum
Brian King
Gary L King
Gerald A King
Kenny King
Ronald Kline
Namthip Kumpiranonth
Lee Labaigue
Dean Lakoff
Brandon Lambdin
Gregory Lessans
Julie Lichter
Trevor Loomis
Julie C Lucas
Loren Lyons
James Macdonald
Jeff Maclean
David Macmillan
Randy Manion
Marc Mann
Barbara Marko
Harrison Marsh
Hugh Martin
Robert Q Mathews
David Mcgiffert
David Mcgiffert
Cheryl Mchugh
Steve Mclean
John F Mcphee
Dustin Meier
Courtenay Milburn
Robin L Miller
Ralph Millero
James R Mitchell
Theresa Repola Mohammed
Joe Mooney
James Moriana
Robert J Morton
Gretchen Muench
Larry Mullen
Shawn Murphy
Austin Myers
Sean Napolitano
Tony R. Negrete
Cheryl Nick
Film Details
Technical Specs
Award Nominations
Best Cinematography
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actor
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Nominated for the 1998 award for Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published (Steven Zaillian) from the Writers Guild of America.
Nominated for the 1998 award for Best Supporting Actor (Robert Duvall) from the Chicago Film Critics Association.
Released in United States Winter December 25, 1998
Wide Release in United States January 8, 1999
Released in United States on Video July 13, 1999
In August 1997, the Massachusetts State Senate introduced a bill prohibiting media representation of true stories without the permission of all people involved. Eight families mentioned in the screenplay and book, "A Civil Action," brought suit when it was learned they would not be compensated for this project by The Walt Disney Company.
Producer Frederick Zollo purchased the rights to the stories of six of the eight families mentioned in the screenplay and book "A Civil Action."
John Travolta reportedly received $20 million for this project.
John Travolta reportedly received $20 million for this project.
Completed shooting February 25, 1998.
Began shooting October 7, 1997.
Wildwood Enterprises is Robert Redford's production company.
Released in United States Winter December 25, 1998
Wide Release in United States January 8, 1999
Released in United States on Video July 13, 1999
