The Accused

Sarah Tobias goes to a bar one night after arguing with her boyfriend. Three men rape her there while onlookers cheer them on. District Attorney Kathryn Murphy takes the case but accepts a reduced charge for the attackers. Sarah, devastated by the outcome and by the humiliation that follows, pushes Murphy to reopen the matter and instead pursue the men who stood by and encouraged the assault. That effort requires Sarah to testify about what happened, putting her own conduct on trial alongside the defendants.

Jonathan Kaplan directed the film, which came out in October 1988 and runs 111 minutes. It followed his Project X the previous year and preceded Unlawful Entry and Love Field, both released in 1992. Tom Topor wrote the screenplay, and Stanley R. Jaffe and Sherry Lansing produced. Jodie Foster plays Sarah Tobias and Kelly McGillis plays Kathryn Murphy, with Bernie Coulson, Leo Rossi, Ann Hearn and Carmen Argenziano among the cast.

Made for about 6 million dollars by Paramount and its Canadian partner, the film took in roughly 32 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 7.1 out of 10 from about 43,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.1 out of 10 from a few hundred votes. A critics' rating of 7.2 out of 10 from 27 reviews places professional assessments close to the audience scores rather than far above them, suggesting broad agreement about the film's merits.