Jan Schlickmann is a cynical lawyer who goes out to 'get rid of' a case, only to find out it is potentially worth millions. The case becomes his obsession, to the extent that he is willing to give up everything—including his career and his clients' goals—in order to continue the case against all odds.
Acting
Duvall's mumbling legal genius steals every scene.
Direction
Zaillian's quiet restraint makes the gut punch land harder.
Writing
Dialogue that actually sounds like lawyers talking, miraculously.
Director
Steven Zaillian
John Travolta
Jan Schlichtmann
Robert Duvall
Jerome Facher
Tony Shalhoub
Kevin Conway
William H. Macy
James Gordon
Željko Ivanek
Bill Crowley
Bruce Norris
William Cheeseman
John Lithgow
Judge Walter J. Skinner
Kathleen Quinlan
Anne Anderson
Peter Jacobson
Neil Jacobs
Mary Mara
Kathy Boyer
James Gandolfini
Al Love
Stephen Fry
Pinder
Denise Dowse
Judge Constance Mullen
Dan Hedaya
John Riley
David Thornton
Richard Aufiero
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The real Jan Schlichtmann declared bankruptcy after the case and now teaches environmental law.
This helped kickstart the '90s toxic water panic alongside Erin Brockovich, though it tanked at the box office because audiences apparently hate sad lawyers.
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