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      The Onion Field

      R Released Sep 7, 1979 2 hr. 2 min. Crime Drama List
      87% 15 Reviews Tomatometer 64% 1,000+ Ratings Audience Score Charismatic psychopath Greg Powell (James Woods) teams up with Jimmy Youngblood (Franklyn Seales), a petty thief. Driving in Los Angeles in 1963, they are pulled over by Detective Hettinger (John Savage) and his partner, Campbell (Ted Danson), for an illegal U-turn. Panicked, Powell kidnaps the officers and kills Campbell. Hettinger escapes, and his description of the men leads to their arrest. As both men evade prosecution with legal tricks, Hettinger is racked with guilt over his survival. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

      View All (68) audience reviews
      Alec B The movie often underlines its themes in some clumsy ways however I appreciate the slow pacing which does a better job of examining the inherently unsatisfying concept of "justice" both in legal and emotionally satisfying terms. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/10/24 Full Review Ravenswood R A tough slog. Standard, bland, cliched, and overly dramatic. Overacted. It is impossible to even care what is happening or what will happen next - and what will happen next is entirely predictable. Sixteen separate changes of mood and tone are presented in "character developing" stories, which in the end mean nothing. Why? Because we don't care about any of the 20 stereotypical stock characters. Weak dialogue, completely unbelievable scenes. Very bad bright and sideways stage lighting and cinematography which is not pleasant to watch. Ham-fisted cuts and jumps between scenes. Violent things happen that are simply inconceivable as presented. Weepy, tear-jerking performances are laughably overdone. Out of nowhere ,and for no reason at all in the context of the film, there are gay implications and homoerotic scenes and gestures which make no sense whatsoever, especially since they are depicted in a clearly homophobic way. This movie is set in 1963, but it reeks of 1979 mid-budget television production. The hairstyles and mood are all contemporary with 1978, but for some reason they all wear mid sixties clothes. No one cares about the Huge Crime that was committed that drives the story, since we know what happened, and it was not very interesting when it did. Court and "justice" scenes are terrible and pure fantasy vs. how the justice system really works. A very weak film. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 09/11/23 Full Review Blobbo X Scattershot narrative causes focus to become progressively more diffuse as movie goes on. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/31/23 Full Review Audience Member The movie often underlines its themes in some clumsy ways however I appreciate the slow pacing which does a better job of examining the inherently unsatisfying concept of "justice" both in legal and emotionally satisfying terms. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review steve d powerful performances make it worth your time Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review laurie s Oh, come on, this is Woods before he could act properly. It hasn't stood the test of timne. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

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      The Onion Field

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (15) Critics Reviews
      Richard Schickel TIME Magazine The Onion Field is a serious and most uncompromising movie. It lacks, however, the sort of disciplined craft that might have made it a powerful and affecting one. Sep 10, 2011 Full Review Variety Staff Variety James Woods as the near-psychotic Powell is chillingly effective, creating a flakiness in the character that exudes the danger of a live wire near a puddle. Mar 26, 2009 Full Review Geoff Andrew Time Out It's the usual heavy Wambaugh brew: police procedure closely observed without a trace of romanticism, suggesting simply that life in the force is psychological hell. Jan 26, 2006 Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) If you want to submit yourself to the brutal experience of a perfectly documented atrocity, don't miss this. [Full review in Spanish] Jan 17, 2024 Full Review Travis Johnson Celluloid and Whiskey It's a very downbeat film in that '70s realist mode, but absolutely arresting (heh!) nonetheless. Sep 19, 2021 Full Review Jesús Fernández Santos El Pais (Spain) If the story weren't based on true events, it would nevertheless be fascinating because of its precise and impeccable technical mastery. [Full Review in Spanish] Aug 12, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Charismatic psychopath Greg Powell (James Woods) teams up with Jimmy Youngblood (Franklyn Seales), a petty thief. Driving in Los Angeles in 1963, they are pulled over by Detective Hettinger (John Savage) and his partner, Campbell (Ted Danson), for an illegal U-turn. Panicked, Powell kidnaps the officers and kills Campbell. Hettinger escapes, and his description of the men leads to their arrest. As both men evade prosecution with legal tricks, Hettinger is racked with guilt over his survival.
      Director
      Harold Becker
      Rating
      R
      Genre
      Crime, Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Sep 7, 1979, Original
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Nov 30, 2016