The law of power

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Movie
German title The law of power
Original title Class action
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1991
length 109 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Michael Apted
script Christopher Ames ,
Samantha Shad ,
Carolyn Shelby
production Robert W. Cort ,
Ted Field ,
Scott Kroopf
music James Horner
camera Conrad L. Hall
cut Ian Crafford
occupation

The Law of Power (Original Title: Class Action ) is an American drama film directed by Michael Apted from 1991 .

action

Jedediah Tucker Ward and his daughter Maggie Ward are both attorneys. Jedediah often represents ordinary citizens in lawsuits against large corporations while Maggie - who drives her anger against her father - works for the companies.

Jedediah is filing a class action lawsuit against the automaker Argo, whose products are said to have dangerous design flaws. Maggie represents the company and goes to court against her father. During the course of the plot, Estelle Ward, wife and mother of the main characters, dies in the courthouse. Maggie accuses her father of cheating on her mother several times after the funeral.

Maggie learns that Argo Alexander Pavel's retired employee once warned of the dangerous construction of the vehicles' electrical systems. For cost reasons, the system was only changed later. One of Maggie's colleagues advised the company at the time and advised them to take the risk of potential lawsuits. The same colleague destroys the only copy of the report, raising an ethical concern for Maggie, while his manager, in order to protect the law firm, approves it.

Jedediah calls Pavel as his witness, who is portrayed by Maggie in court as unreliable because he cannot even remember his own phone number, date of birth and zip code, which leads Maggie to conclude that he can no longer be sure of his former project recall. Afterwards, Maggie's colleague from the law firm testifies under oath that the said report never existed. Jedediah then calls the company's chief accountant, whom Maggie names as a possible witness. The man confirms that the report once existed, which also means the end of this colleague as a lawyer for lying under oath.

In the end, Jedediah wins $ 100 million in damages for those affected and Maggie, protected by her father's threat to prosecute the company if they want to harm her because of it, reconciles with her father.

Reviews

Joe Brown wrote in the Washington Post on March 15, 1991 that the script was " smarter than average " and built the tension " expertly ". Gene Hackman is in " top shape ".

Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times on March 15, 1991 that most of the trailers promise more than the film offers. This case is an exception - its trailer suggests a formulaic plot with clichés while the film shows " surprising intelligence " and " empathy ". Both main characters are right, both have weaknesses - the film shows their way of forgiving and changing. Gene Hackman is " wonderful " in the film , but Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is the real center of the action. Ebert also praised the supporting actors Joanna Merlin, Donald Moffat, Jan Rubes and Colin Friels.

Cinema magazine wrote that the film was a " superficial drama " that " good leading actors " would give profile. The portrayal of Laurence Fishburne in a supporting role was lauded as " brilliant ".

Awards

Michael Apted was nominated for the Golden St. George of the Moscow International Film Festival in 1991 .

background

The film was in San Francisco in Oakland ( California ) and in the Tech Mart Building in Santa Clara turned (California). It grossed approximately $ 24.3 million in US cinemas .

For its Pinto model , the rear tank of which was almost unprotected against rear-end collisions , Ford had made a cost assessment comparable to the film plot .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Review by Joe Brown, accessed July 20, 2007
  2. ^ Review by Roger Ebert, accessed on July 20, 2007
  3. ↑ www.cinema.de, accessed on July 20, 2007
  4. ^ Filming locations for Class Action, accessed July 20, 2007
  5. ↑ Box office / business for Class Action, accessed July 20, 2007

Web links