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The Onion Field Photos
Movie Info
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.
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Rating: R
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Genre: Crime, Drama
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Original Language: English
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Director: Harold Becker
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Producer: Walter Coblenz
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Release Date (Theaters): original
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Release Date (Streaming):
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Runtime:
Cast & Crew

John Savage
Det. Karl Francis Hettinger

James Woods
Gregory Ulas Powell

Franklyn Seales
Jimmy Lee "Youngblood" Smith

Ted Danson
Det. Ian James Campbell

Ronny Cox
Det. Sgt. Pierce R. Brooks

David Huffman
Dist. Atty. Phil Halpin

Christopher Lloyd
Jailhouse lawyer

Dianne Hull
Helen Hettinger

Priscilla Pointer
Chrissie Campbell

Beege Barkette
Greg's woman

Richard Herd
Beat Cop

Le Tari
Emmanuel McFadden
Richard Venture
Det. Glenn Bates

Lee Weaver
Billy

Phillip R. Allen
Dist. Atty. Marshall Shulman (uncredited)

Pat Corley
Jimmy's Lawyer 2

K Callan
Mrs. Powell

Sandy McPeak
Mr. Powell

Michael Pataki
Dist. Atty. Dino Fulgoni

Harold Becker
Director

Walter Coblenz
Producer
Critic Reviews for The Onion Field
Audience Reviews for The Onion Field
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May 05, 2021
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.
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Nov 29, 2011
"The Onion Field" features a complex narrative and well-developed characters, but ultimately, it never goes anywhere. The scenes that are meant to provoke emotion fall flat, the final twenty minutes or so are unnecessary, and the pacing is slow and unbalanced. James Woods delivers a strong performance, but that's about it. There's nothing noteworthy about this film other than that.
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Jul 30, 2011
The Onion Field has real potential to be a very compelling film. There are tons of great character pieces with a complex plot, but it all somehow just doesn't go anywhere. This film is based on true events, but I'm wondering if the actual events were portrayed as is, and if so, did they need to be so true to them? I'm not going to spoil the entirety of the film, nor am I going to get into a discussion on dramatic character development and satisfactory story, but it basically winds down to nothing. Dramatic tension tries its hardest to kick in at times with little to no pay-off. This, to me, seemed more suited to be a Broadway production rather than a film. Two hours of complex plot and emotionally unsatisfying events make for a very dull film, despite the talent behind it.
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Sep 06, 2010
A fantastic crime/prison movie, the story is really incredible, and the actors are great. The only problem is that it's a little too long. Other than that I loved it.
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