There are times when you can get the plot concept right, but the execution is too tepid to make the concept seem worthwhile. Add to that, some lukewarm performances and ‘Absence of Malice’ turns out to be a damp squib considering the firepower it carries.
The plot revolves around Michael Gallagher, the son of a boot-legger who is accused of murdering the local union leader. The accusation is not done through official channels, but as a story leaked to the press by an Assistant US Attorney, through a reporter who catches wind of their investigation. Gallagher knows that he is being set up so that the Attorney can rely on him to find the real perpetrator, so that his own name is cleared. Whether Gallagher takes the bait or turns the hunters into the hunted is what the plot tries to uncover.
Considering that it is a Sydney Pollack movie, ‘Absence of Malice’ is disappointing simply because it does not hold your attention. The narrative is too vague and the pace is too slow and does not grip. Towards the end, the platitude about the press not knowing what is right and what is wrong and the attorneys being rapped on their knuckles by a senior attorney is amateurish.
Paul Newman as Gallagher is the only one who steps up and shows glimpses of the caged rage that he showed in movies like ‘Hud’ and ‘Hustler’. Sally Field as the reporter is disappointing. There is no chemistry between the lead pair.
The film is disappointing. Only worth watching if you are a fan of the director or the actors.
