The Onion Field (1979)
Genre: Drama / Crime
Duration: 122 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Harold Becker
Stars: John Savage, James Woods and Ted Danson
IMDb score:
6,8 (6.237)
Releasedate: 9 September 1979
This movie is not available on US streaming services.
The Onion Field plot
"That happened in the onion field is true. But the real crime is what happened after."
Jimmy Smith (Franklyn Seales) is a petty criminal who one day comes into contact with the deranged Gregory Powell (James Woods). Together they think they will make it all the way. Karl Hettinger (John Savage) and Ian Campbell (Ted Danson) are two officers in the Major Crimes Unit. One evening they see a suspicious car driving with a broken tail light. Jimmy and Gregory are in the car. Gregory doesn't feel like being apprehended and pulls out a gun. They kidnap the agents and drive them to a remote onion field...
Actors and actresses
Karl Hettinger
Gregory Powell
Jimmy Smith
Ian Campbell
Pierce Brooks
District Attorney Phil Halpin
Jailhouse Lawyer
Helen Hettinger
Chrissie Campbell
Greg's Woman
Reviews & comments
mrklm
-
- 12190 messages
- 10362 votes
Joseph Wambaugh was so unhappy with the original film adaptation of his book The Choirboys, that he had his name removed from the credits through summary proceedings and decided to adapt the book himself into a screenplay that, under the direction of Harold Becker, resulted in this grim, well-acted but not entirely successful thriller drama. The carefully constructed screenplay introduces us in the first half hour to the criminals (including an impressive James Woods) who are arrested by two police officers [John Savage and Ted Danson] after a robbery and decide to kidnap them, with tragic consequences. Then we get an insight into how one of them tries to come to terms with the brutal execution of the other, as well as how the mastermind behind the crime uses every legal trick in the book to delay his own trial and shift the blame. The first part of this entertaining film is rock solid, but while the second part takes an interesting, unusual approach, Becker fails to maintain or even approach the dramatic tension of the first 45 minutes. All in all, this is a fine film, but you can't help but feel that it could have done better with a more experienced director.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Movsin
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- 8331 messages
- 8448 votes
To a true event with which cinematically something more could have been done. Especially the editing is disappointing, it damages the cohesion of the story and actually the direction does not reach high peaks either.
Finally, what is also missing are a few stronger actors than what is now being presented.
Disappointed.
Translated from Dutch · View original
wihu61
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- 1032 messages
- 557 votes
I found the first half quite strong. James Woods convincingly portrayed a deranged 'creep'. The second half disappointed me somewhat, as if the brakes were suddenly applied. Perhaps they should have let go of the exact content of the book and let the medium of film do its work more by, as often happens, leaving out some details. But overall I found it definitely worth it.
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