A Civil Action (1998)

A Civil Action is a 1998 American legal drama film directed and written by Steven Zaillian and starring John Travolta with Robert Duvall, James Gandolfini, Dan Hedaya, John Lithgow, William H. Macy, Kathleen Quinlan, and Tony Shalhoub. Based on the 1995 book by Jonathan Harr, tells the true story of a court case about environmental pollution that took place in Woburn, Massachusetts in the 1980s. The film and court case revolve around the issue of trichloroethylene, an industrial solvent, and its contamination of a local aquifer. A lawsuit was filed over industrial operations that appeared to have caused fatal cases of leukemia and cancer, as well as a wide variety of other health problems, among the citizens of the city. The case involved is Anne Anderson, et al., v. Cryovac, Inc., et al.. The film was produced by Touchstone Pictures, Paramount Pictures and Wildwood Enterprises, Inc and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution in the United States and Canada and by United International Pictures internationally. The film was released on December 25, 1998 to generally positive reviews, but was a box office failure as it grossed $56 million against a $75 million budget. Duvall was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.