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The Accused

R Released Oct 14, 1988 1h 50m Drama List
93% Tomatometer 27 Reviews 79% Audience Score 10,000+ Ratings
Out drinking one night after a fight with her boyfriend, three men brutally rape Sarah Tobias in a bar while people watch and cheer. District Attorney Kathryn Murphy takes the case, however, she allows the rapists to receive a mild sentence. A distraught Sarah decides to seek punishment for the men who witnessed and encouraged the rape. To get justice, Sarah must take the stand and revisit the night of her attack. Read More Read Less
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Critics Reviews

View All (27) Critics Reviews
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times The Accused demonstrates that rape victims often are suspects in their own cases. Rated: 3/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Savina Petkova A Good Movie To Watch Foster packs a punch. She can go from zero to a hundred in a second, her quiet simmering turning to screams of rage in a heartbeat. Rated: 7.8/10 Oct 29, 2023 Full Review Kat Halstead Common Sense Media That it is still so relevant decades on makes it all the more impactful. Rated: 4/5 Oct 4, 2022 Full Review Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault Well worth seeing for Foster, who even transcends the fake-looking spiky wig she wears in the second half. Rated: B Aug 31, 2022 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review The Accused stands out because it tackles a subject that other mainstream filmmakers refused to address at the time. Rated: 3/4 Feb 20, 2022 Full Review Martha K. Baker AWFJ.org This film about sexual assault, written by Tom Topor and directed by Jonathan Kaplan, is not just about a gang of rapists, the perpetrators, but also about the callow and craven men who cheered on the penetrators. Nov 23, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (664) audience reviews
Audience Member In the US alone a crime of sexual violence is reported every six minutes; one out of every 4 victims is attacked by two or more assailants The accused are sometimes the most difficult to prove that they are guilty Director Jonathan Kaplan presents a courtroom drama that struggles to change the entire justice system for the better Jodie Foster plays Sarah Tobias Kelly McGillis plays attorney Kathryn Murphy Sarah is a young woman that goes out to party at a bar one night But it ends in a horrible way as she is gang raped by several men, the opening shows her escaping the incident and getting checked out by the hospital and getting a rape kit Kathyrn is assigned to the case but the lack of evidence, witnesses, and proof that it ever happened stalls the prosecution Sarah is becoming more victimized believing that no one believes her and the accused are wrongly charged by everyone else willing to keep their mouths shut out of fear and coercion Can Kathyrn prove the crime actually occurred and shake up a corrupt justice system that refuses to go forward? This acts as a slow pot boiler; it tries to get the facts straight while others try to dismiss the alleged crime Foster gives a powerhouse performance next to McGillis The actual rape scene is so damn hard to watch but it has its authentic place depicting the subject matter The aftermath is real when the victim is the only one experiencing it along with the trauma that remains It hurts so much more knowing that people just stand by letting something this horrible happen and not lift a finger to help Yet the film does its job touching the lives of every woman whom has ever endured the horrors of assault while also dealing with the continued injustice fighting a prejudice legal system that stonewalls every time Kaplan is brave enough to tackle a subject other filmmakers would refuse to address making this relevant to this day Rated 2 out of 5 stars 10/16/23 Full Review Lesley E Brilliant!! Absolutely brilliant! Jodie Foster really knows how to carry powerful emotion! She absolutely deserved the Oscar she won for this picture. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/10/23 Full Review Gareth v A brutal and engrossing film on the trauma involved in the act and subsequent effects of rape. Foster thoroughly deserved her Oscar for her performance. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/22/23 Full Review David F A bit dated but this film about the fallout from a sexual assault in a bar is grimly serious and compassionate with a great performance from Jodie Foster as the working class survivor whose life is upended as she seeks justice and has to deal with a system that is not accustomed to prioritizing the interests or the feelings of people like her. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/12/23 Full Review Michael W This crime drama was really good. Jodie Foster, Kelly McGillis, Bernie Coulson, Carmen Argenziano, and the rest of the cast did a fantastic job in this movie. This true story about about a woman suing six men for rape crimes was dramatic, unbelievable, and shocking. What these men did to an innocent woman was evil, unforgivable, and immoral. These men deserved what was coming to them. If you haven't seen this movie yet, check it out sometime. It's worth watching. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member The greatest 01 hour: and 50 minutes ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Accused

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Out drinking one night after a fight with her boyfriend, three men brutally rape Sarah Tobias in a bar while people watch and cheer. District Attorney Kathryn Murphy takes the case, however, she allows the rapists to receive a mild sentence. A distraught Sarah decides to seek punishment for the men who witnessed and encouraged the rape. To get justice, Sarah must take the stand and revisit the night of her attack.
Director
Jonathan Kaplan
Producer
Stanley R. Jaffe, Sherry Lansing
Screenwriter
Tom Topor
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Paramount Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 14, 1988, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
May 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$29.6M
Runtime
1h 50m
Sound Mix
Surround
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