In America can a man be guilty until proven innocent?
Megan Carter is a reporter duped into running an untrue story on Michael Gallagher, a suspected racketeer. He has an alibi for the time his crime was allegedly committed—but it involves an innocent party. When he tells Carter the truth and the newspaper runs it, tragedy follows, forcing Carter to face up to the responsibilities of her job when she is confronted by Gallagher.
Absence of Malice (1981) is a drama, romance and crime film directed by Sydney Pollack, released on November 19, 1981 with a runtime of 1h 56m. It stars Sally Field, Paul Newman, Bob Balaban and Melinda Dillon. Viewers rate it 6.6 out of 10 across 260 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for Absence of Malice before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for Absence of Malice.
Trailer
Featurette
Sally Field
as Megan Carter
Paul Newman
as Michael Colin Gallagher
Bob Balaban
as Elliott Rosen
Melinda Dillon
as Teresa Perrone
Luther Adler
as Santos Malderone
Barry Primus
as Robert Waddell
Josef Sommer
as McAdam
John Harkins
as Davidek
Don Hood
as James A. Quinn
Wilford Brimley
as James J. Wells
Arnie Ross
as Eddie Frost
Barbara Keegan
as News Staff
Directed by Sydney Pollack, written by Kurt Luedtke, produced by Sydney Pollack.
Average viewer score of 6.6/10 from 260 ratings.
Sidney Pollack has directed a lot of excellent movies but Absence of Malice, one of his lower profile efforts, is my favorite Pollack film. Paul Newman is excellent, of course, and Sally Fields holds her own portraying a reporter who is both ambitious and caring. The supporting cast is also good, especially the late Wilford Brimley as the razor sharp tobacco chewing “aw shucks“ Officer of the court late in the…
Reviewed on September 19, 2020
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Absence of Malice (1981) is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Prime Video with Ads, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of Absence of Malice (1981) includes Sally Field, Paul Newman, Bob Balaban, Melinda Dillon and Luther Adler. The film was directed by Sydney Pollack. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Absence of Malice was released on November 19, 1981 and runs for 1h 56m.
Absence of Malice (1981) holds an average rating of 6.6 out of 10 from 260 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy drama, romance and crime films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official Absence of Malice trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
