Absence of Malice

1981
PG
1h 56m

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

16K

YOUR RATING

Paul Newman and Sally Field in Absence of Malice (1981)

Home Video Trailer from Columbia Tristar

Play trailer2:03

1 Video

51 Photos

Legal Drama Tragedy Drama Romance Thriller

When prosecutor Elliot Rosen leaks to naive but well-meaning Miami reporter Megan Carter that liquor wholesaler Mike Gallagher is suspected in the murder of local longshoreman union presiden... Read allWhen prosecutor Elliot Rosen leaks to naive but well-meaning Miami reporter Megan Carter that liquor wholesaler Mike Gallagher is suspected in the murder of local longshoreman union president Joey Diaz, Gallagher's life begins to unravel.When prosecutor Elliot Rosen leaks to naive but well-meaning Miami reporter Megan Carter that liquor wholesaler Mike Gallagher is suspected in the murder of local longshoreman union president Joey Diaz, Gallagher's life begins to unravel.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

16K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 3 Oscars
- 3 wins & 8 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 2:03

Absence of Malice

Photos51

+ 44

‘Snow White’ Stars Test Their Wits

Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, and director Marc Webb take our Ultimate Disney Quiz.

Watch now

9:57

More like this

7.7

7.3

5.9

7.0

6.5

7.8

7.4

6.1

6.7

6.3

6.5

6.8

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
Paul Newman once said of this movie while publicizing The Verdict (1982): "I'd rather have the freedom to do the kind of pictures like The Verdict (1982) ... I enjoyed kicking the beejeezus out of the press in Absence of Malice (1981)."

Goofs
After spending his first night with Megan, Michael tells her as he is leaving that it is 5:30 a.m. It is clearly daylight outside. In Miami in mid-December, it would still be dark outside at that time.

Quotes
James J. Wells: I tell you something, you're a smart fellow. Don't get too smart. I'm pretty smart myself.
Michael Gallagher: Everybody in the room is smart. Everybody's just doing their job - and Teresa Perrone's dead. Who do I see about that?
James J. Wells: Ain't nobody to see. I wish there was. You're excused now, sir.

Connections
Edited into Absence of Satan (1985)

User reviews147

Featured review

7/10

All the news that's fit to print (and then some)

This movie provides a clever insight into the principles the press live by. Reporters sometimes lose their basic humanity because they're not looking at the human interest, but at covering all the angles. What's newsworthy is what's in the public domain as fact, not gossip. It's definitely something to think about in this age when large sections of the media are intent on muckraking over the affairs of those who are deemed to be 'high-profile'...

The movie asks us, though, to keep in mind that sometimes there's more going on than meets the eye, and that certain acts function as a means to an end. It can be seen as an extension of that great 70's movie tradition where acclaimed directors make polished films exposing high-level corruption. "Absence of Malice" is an involving exercise in paranoid mystery, with Newman in fine form as always, and Sally Field providing capable support.