Class Action

Maggie Ward (Mastrantonio) may have followed her father into the law, but she embodies the kind of values he despises and is embittered about her long-suffering mother. Daddy (the ever reliable Hackman) is a flamboyant civil liberties lawyer who has spent his life championing the underdog and pursuing extra-marital affairs. When a class action lawsuit comes along, involving injured drivers and a car manufacturer accused of producing dangerous vehicles, guess which lawyers decide to take up opposing sides? Apted builds up a combative atmosphere both in and out of the courtroom, but the studied contrivances which work so well before the judge appear more strained during the emotional confrontations, which ambitiously attempt to redress all wrongs. Worthy stuff, most effective during the courtroom theatricals.