Themes: Work Ethics, Members of the Press, Miscarriage of Justice
Main Cast: Paul Newman, Sally Field, Bob Balaban, Melinda Dillon, Luther Adler, Wilford Brimley
Release Year: 1981
Country: US
Run Time: 116 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
In this legal drama from director Sydney Pollack, Sally Field stars as Megan, an ambitious newpaper reporter who, based on information from FBI investigator Rosen, played by Bob Balaban, writes a scathing article that implicates Gallagher, a reclusive business-owner played by Paul Newman, in the recent disappearance of a labor leader. When Gallagher confronts Megan and sets her straight, the two team together to prove his innocence and have a few romantic interludes along the way. Wilford Brimley and Melinda Dillon also star. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
Review
Kurt Luedtke translated his own experiences as a big-city newspaper editor at the Detroit Free Press to write his first feature film. He earned an Academy Award nomination for original screenplay for his journalistically credible story about a naïve, eager-beaver young reporter (Sally Field) misled by a federal investigator into fingering the wrong man (Paul Newman) in the murder of a longshoreman's union official. Directed by Sydney Pollack, the film was a box-office hit and also earned Oscar nominations for Newman and supporting actress Melinda Dillon. Most memorable is the scene in which Newman barges into the newspaper's city room to confront Field. Like most Pollack films, Absence of Malice is a showcase for its actors, who give depth and color to a polished though fairly conventional entry in the fading genre of newspaper movies. Luedtke later wrote an Oscar-winning screenplay for Pollack's Out of Africa and had a co-writer credit on the acclaimed Schindler's List. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
Barry Primus - Waddell; Josef Sommer - McAdam; John Harkins - Davidek; Don Hood - Quinn; Ted Bartsch - Beverage Manager; Alfredo Alvarez Calderon - Rodriquez; Oswaldo Calvo - John; Ilse Earl - Nun; Bill Hindman - Priest; Rooney Kerwin - Walker; Shawn McAllister - Mobster; Anna Marie Napoles - Nickie; Joe Petrullo - Mobster; Arnie Ross - Eddie Frost; Lee Sandman - News Staff; Shelley Spurlock - Sarah Wylie; Lynn Stalmaster; Jodie Wilson - Ragged Lady; Jeff Gillen - 3rd Reporter; Mark Harris - News Staff; Sharon Anderson - Secretary; John Archie - FBI Agent; Laurie V. Logan - McAdam's Assistant; Jack McDermott - News Staff; Patrick Sullivan - Meersma; Timothy Hawkins - FBI Agent; Diane Zolten - Reporter; John DiSanti - Longshoreman; Barry Hober - News Staff
Credit
Bernie Pollack - Costume Designer, David McGiffert - First Assistant Director, Sydney Pollack - Director, Sheldon Kahn - Editor, Ronald L. Schwary - Executive Producer, Dave Grusin - Composer (Music Score), Don L. Cash - Makeup, James Glennon - Camera Operator, Terence Marsh - Production Designer, Owen Roizman - Cinematographer, Ronald L. Schwary - Production Manager, Terence Marsh - Producer, Sydney Pollack - Producer, John Franco, Jr. - Set Designer, Bert Hallberg - Sound/Sound Designer, Kurt Luedtke - Screenwriter
Absence of Malice is a 1981 film which tells the story of Michael Gallagher (Paul Newman), the son of a dead Mafia boss who discovers that he has become a front-page story in the local Miaminewspaper, indicating that he is being investigated for a murder he didn't commit. Sally Field is the reporter who creates the story. As their worlds start to coincide, the ethics of journalism are tested, including how close a reporter should get to his or her source. The movie also stars Bob Balaban as an ambitious and unscrupulous Assistant United States Attorney, Melinda Dillon as a troubled friend of Gallagher's, and Wilford Brimley as a senior U.S. Department of Justice official.
The movie was written by Kurt Luedtke and David Rayfiel (uncredited) and directed by Sydney Pollack.
