Absence of Malice

Megan Carter is a journalist who publishes a story linking a man to a murder investigation, only to find the report was based on information leaked to pressure witnesses. The man, Michael Gallagher, runs a legitimate liquor business rather than following his late father's criminal path, and the article upends his life even though he has done nothing wrong. As he confronts Carter and the two try to untangle how the story came together, the consequences of the coverage reach beyond either of them.

Sydney Pollack directed and produced the film, working from a screenplay by Kurt Luedtke and David Rayfiel. It was the ninth of the seventeen features he directed in chronological order, arriving between The Electric Horseman and Tootsie. Sally Field plays Carter opposite Paul Newman as Gallagher, with Bob Balaban, Melinda Dillon, Luther Adler and Barry Primus in supporting roles. The film was released in November 1981 and runs 116 minutes.

Made for about 12 million dollars, the film took in roughly 41 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds a 6.9 rating from around 16,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 6.6 from about 261 votes. A critics' rating of 7.3 from 28 reviews places it somewhat above the audience scores.