This week, it’s Absence of Malice, directed by Sydney Pollack. I have to say, every time I run across one of his films I end up loving it. What’s great about his movies is that he is one of those rare directors that is able to make just about every scene in the movie interesting and believable. Even though this movie features Paul Newman and Sally Field, Pollack takes care not to make them the only interesting characters on screen. Particularly I’m thinking of Bob Balaban who does a superb job portraying a federal prosecutor who abuses the authority of his office to pressure Michael Gallagher (Paul Newman) into giving him information.
See Roger Ebert’s 1981 review for synopsis and analysis.
