Justice has its price.
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.
A Civil Action (1998) is a drama film directed by Steven Zaillian, released on December 25, 1998 with a runtime of 1h 55m. It stars John Travolta, Robert Duvall, Tony Shalhoub and William H. Macy. Viewers rate it 6.5 out of 10 across 521 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for A Civil Action before you stream it.
John Travolta
as Jan Schlichtmann
Robert Duvall
as Jerome Facher
Tony Shalhoub
as Kevin Conway
William H. Macy
as James Gordon
Željko Ivanek
as Bill Crowley
Bruce Norris
as William Cheeseman
John Lithgow
as Judge Walter J. Skinner
Kathleen Quinlan
as Anne Anderson
Peter Jacobson
as Neil Jacobs
Mary Mara
as Kathy Boyer
James Gandolfini
as Al Love
Stephen Fry
as Pinder
Directed by Steven Zaillian, written by Steven Zaillian and Jonathan Harr, produced by Robert Redford, Scott Rudin and Steven Zaillian.
Average viewer score of 6.5/10 from 521 ratings.
Based on a true story, John Travolta portrays an ambulance chasing lawyer whose company takes 40% of any settlement they get for their clients following accidents in the workplace, or during surgery, or on the road etc. It's when he becomes aware of a clutch of leukaemia sufferers that he begins to suspect that a local tannery might be polluting the water supply with toxic chemicals. Now he is used to quick in and…
Reviewed on April 16, 2024
(CASTELLANO) Lo más interesante de este drama judicial es que no juega a ser una película cómoda de buenos contra malos. Parte de algo terrible —familias convencidas de que la contaminación del agua ha enfermado y matado a sus hijos—, pero enseguida desplaza el foco hacia una pregunta bastante incómoda: ¿qué ocurre cuando el dolor entra en un despacho de abogados y tiene que traducirse en pruebas, costes,…
Reviewed on September 10, 2026
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A Civil Action (1998) is currently available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. No subscription streaming option is listed right now, so availability may change.
The main cast of A Civil Action (1998) includes John Travolta, Robert Duvall, Tony Shalhoub, William H. Macy and Željko Ivanek. The film was directed by Steven Zaillian. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
A Civil Action was released on December 25, 1998 and runs for 1h 55m.
A Civil Action (1998) holds an average rating of 6.5 out of 10 from 521 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy drama films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official A Civil Action trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
