A Civil Action

A Civil Action follows Jan Schlichtmann, a personal-injury lawyer who takes on cases he can settle quickly and profitably, with little interest in the justice behind them. When grieving parents from a small Massachusetts town ask him to represent them over contaminated drinking water that they believe caused leukemia in local children, he initially turns them away. He eventually takes the case, which grows into a drawn-out legal battle against two large corporations, and his commitment to it puts his finances, his reputation and his practice at risk.

Steven Zaillian directed the film and wrote its screenplay, his second outing as director after Searching for Bobby Fischer in 1993; he also produced it alongside Scott Rudin and Robert Redford. John Travolta plays Schlichtmann, with Robert Duvall as opposing attorney Jerome Facher, and Tony Shalhoub, William H. Macy, Zeljko Ivanek and Bruce Norris among the credited cast of 61. The film was released on December 25, 1998 and runs 115 minutes.

Made for about 75 million dollars, it earned roughly 57 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.6 out of 10 from around 33,000 votes, while on TMDB it has 6.5 out of 10 from about 515 votes. A critics' score of 6.9 out of 10 from 71 reviews places it slightly above both audience ratings.