Absence of Malice (1981)

Directed by Sydney Pollack. Starring Sally Field, Paul Newman, Melinda Dillon, Bob Balaban, Josef Sommer, Barry Primus, Wilford Brimley, Don Hood, John Harkins. [R]

Field plays an unethical newspaper journalist set up by a federal prosecutor to run a damaging story against Newman, naming him as being under investigation for the murder of a union official. Don’t expect the same frenzied pace and electric entertainment of Alan J. Pakula’s All the President’s Men; in fact, it’s something of a flip side perspective to that film as it casts hard shadows on ambitious, headline-first reporting. Newman’s understated, artful approach to the material is noteworthy, and Dillon and Brimley are memorable in small roles, but Field is miscast; she may be miles from Norma Rae territory, but even at her weariest, she comes off as too wholesome and principled to ever get herself involved in such unscrupulous business. The film loses its way in the second half as the two leads get involved in a romantic tryst (especially uncomfortable as there is an earlier assault scene), but Pollack and writers Kurt Luedtke and David Rayfiel right the ship for a fairly clever and satisfying climax. Mildly disappointing overall considering the pedigree of talent involved on both sides of the camera, but still worth a look.

68/100