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      The Onion Field

      1979, Crime/Drama, 2h 2m

      14 Reviews 1,000+ Ratings

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      The Onion Field  Photos

      The Onion Field (1979) The Onion Field (1979) The Onion Field (1979) The Onion Field (1979) The Onion Field (1979)

      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.

      • Rating: R

      • Genre: Crime, Drama

      • Original Language: English

      • Director: Harold Becker

      • Producer: Walter Coblenz

      • Release Date (Theaters):  original

      • Release Date (Streaming):

      • Runtime:

      Cast & Crew

      John Savage
      James Woods
      Franklyn Seales
      Ted Danson
      Ronny Cox
      David Huffman
      Christopher Lloyd
      Dianne Hull
      Priscilla Pointer
      Beege Barkette
      Le Tari
      Richard Venture
      Phillip R. Allen
      Pat Corley
      K Callan
      Sandy McPeak
      Michael Pataki

      Critic Reviews for The Onion Field

      Audience Reviews for The Onion Field

      • 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.

        Super Reviewer
      • 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.

        Super Reviewer
      • 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.

        Super Reviewer
      • 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.

        Super Reviewer

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