This is a good film, sort of like Erin Brockovich, but not the same. In a way, this is more real, truly showing how much money lawyers can invest in a case and when that doesn't work in their favor, they can lose everything.
Such is the case in this film, for Jan Schlichtmann (John Travolta). He starts out as a successful personal injury lawyer, and most eligible bachelor in the city. He loves winning and doesn't care much about the actual people behind the case. However, that sort of changes when he investigates the case of Wobourn, north of Boston where, thanks to a tanning factory, the water is contaminated and children are dying of leukemia. But two big companies are behind the tanning factory, so Jan still sees dollar signs, but this time, refuses to settle despite the firm digging themselves deeper and deeper into debt.
This film isn't as heart-breaking as Erin Brockovich, as the victims aren't as important, though some of them do have devastating stories (including actual death this time, but it is delivered in a crueler manner, but the truth is more important. Some witnesses are willing to come forward, such as Al Love (James Gandolfini, brilliant), who also have suffering children. His one son has a seizure disorder and his eldest daughter has had two miscarriages. He names names, but thanks to the prosecution, is never called to the stand. The prosecution, led by Facher (Robert Duvall), a Red Sox loving Harvard professor, never gives the witnesses the opportunity. Instead, first, the jury must decide if the companies behind the tanning factory are even to blame for the bad water. The jury decides one of the two companies is responsible, but ultimately, the funds to man the operation, which are massive, just completely dry up and, thanks to the pressure of his partners, Jan settles for a measly eight million dollars. This means that the families don't get the apology they desperately want, and nothing is done to clean up or protect the environment from something like this happening in the future. The ending massively upset me. I really wished that the companies would have gone through the whole trial and lost and had to pay the families and town a ton of money. Luckily, the EPA ended up investigating, and the companies were held responsible and the tanning factory was shut down.
The actors deliver. In addition to Travolta and Duvall being brilliant, Duvall fully deserved his Oscar nomination, William H. Macy is great as the account, Tony Shalhoub excels as another lawyer who breaks ties with Jan at the end and Kathleen Quinlan is quietly stoic as the mother of one young victim. Also pay attention for House's Peter Jacobsen as a lawyer for one of the companies and Sidney Pollack as a corporate lawyer for the one company who eventually manages to sweet talk and settle with Jan for the measly eight million. Even Kathy Bates is great as the final lawyer who wonders why all of Jan's money went after seventeen years of practicing law.
This film is still a must watch, and I know it is real, based on a true story, which made the ending even more devastating. In Hollywood, David would have beaten Goliath, but not in real life, Goliath always wins. And this story has been told time and time again, a man realizes that money isn't the most important thing. Other things matter too. Like the truth, and justice. Grade: A-
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