big courtroom thrillers have always captivated america .
o . j .
simpson , tom capano , the menendez brothers .
all these names are synonymous to americans and courtrooms .
and , of course , courtroom dramas are not a new topic to hollywood .
whether it be john grisham’s thrilling novels or television’s famous dramas , the courtroom has always provided big bucks .
so when i rented a civil action , i was expecting the film to be like the rainmaker , a brilliant law film that kept viewers on the edge of their seat .
however , what i saw in a civil action was far different from what i expected , a major surprise , but fortunately , a pleasant one .
john travolta always seems to come up big when you least expect it .
no one expected him to light up the screen in grease , nor in saturday night fever .
but , whenever he gets knocked down , he always seems to come back fighting .
a civil action is not john’s best performance , but a strong one that could rival any performance in 1998 .
travolta proves that a normal and believable performance can vault a film into oscar nominations .
his performance is not flashy , nor memorable , just solid .
if he delivered the only solid performance , this film would still be average .
luckily , he has a strong supporting cast .
william h . macy is probably one of the most underrated actors in hollywood .
he continues to deliver great performances one after the other , but he is still regarded as a secondary actor .
in a civil action , he delivers yet another great performance as travolta’s paranoid and greedy accountant .
he is not a lovable character , but a character who stands out in your mind whenever you think of the film .
he is not one of the big time lawyers , just a measly accountant .
but , he delivers one of the best supporting roles of 1998 , but there is actually someone better in a civil action .
robert duvall is also an underrated actor .
he gets many leading roles , but is never heard when you hear of big box office draws like tom hanks , brad pitt and jim carrey .
duvall has a supporting role in this as a lawyer of the co-defendant .
duvall is magical in this role .
he is the wise teacher , who not only battles it out in the courtroom , but also manages to teach every major player a lesson , in his own twisted way .
in many non-comedic films , directors are always trying to find a way to implement a touch of comedy , to keep the audience on their toes .
unfortunately , they usually just key in on one character whose main objective is to be funny ( jar-jar binks , anyone ? ) .
however , this usually backfires because the character is never fully developed .
this is not the case in a civil action .
they have comedy coming from all sides .
whether it be duvall’s inane questions or macy’s sharp anger , the laughs come in a steady pace .
granted , it’s not roll in the aisle funny , but it provides a nice addition to the film .
the plot is terrific- somewhat .
the setup is nice with the film actually starting with a victory in the courtroom .
then the case that will make or break jan ( travolta ) ‘s career rears its ugly head .
they find out the goldmine involved with the case and wind up taking it .
however , budgets soon flounder and jan finds himself in deep debt .
i will not spoil the rest , although i must speak of the one downside to the film .
the courtroom debates are great , but the actual problem they are fighting for is never fully explored .
it left me somewhat confused , although the rest of the film is terrific .
all in all , john travolta is back yet again in this great film .
his supporting cast , consisting of macy and duvall , turn in tremendous performances , which ease the load on travolta .
the film is smart , witty and thought provoking .
not only does it gauge in-court battles , but also the various tolls it can take on the major players .
a civil action provides everything a drama lover craves .