big courtroom thrillers have always captivated america . o . j . simpson , tom capano , the menendez brothers . all these names are synonymous to americans and courtrooms . and , of course , courtroom dramas are not a new topic to hollywood . whether it be john grisham's thrilling novels or television's famous dramas , the courtroom has always provided big bucks . so when i rented a civil action , i was expecting the film to be like the rainmaker , a brilliant law film that kept viewers on the edge of their seat . however , what i saw in a civil action was far different from what i expected , a major surprise , but fortunately , a pleasant one . john travolta always seems to come up big when you least expect it . no one expected him to light up the screen in grease , nor in saturday night fever . but , whenever he gets knocked down , he always seems to come back fighting . a civil action is not john's best performance , but a strong one that could rival any performance in 1998 . travolta proves that a normal and believable performance can vault a film into oscar nominations . his performance is not flashy , nor memorable , just solid . if he delivered the only solid performance , this film would still be average . luckily , he has a strong supporting cast . william h . macy is probably one of the most underrated actors in hollywood . he continues to deliver great performances one after the other , but he is still regarded as a secondary actor . in a civil action , he delivers yet another great performance as travolta's paranoid and greedy accountant . he is not a lovable character , but a character who stands out in your mind whenever you think of the film . he is not one of the big time lawyers , just a measly accountant . but , he delivers one of the best supporting roles of 1998 , but there is actually someone better in a civil action . robert duvall is also an underrated actor . he gets many leading roles , but is never heard when you hear of big box office draws like tom hanks , brad pitt and jim carrey . duvall has a supporting role in this as a lawyer of the co-defendant . duvall is magical in this role . he is the wise teacher , who not only battles it out in the courtroom , but also manages to teach every major player a lesson , in his own twisted way . in many non-comedic films , directors are always trying to find a way to implement a touch of comedy , to keep the audience on their toes . unfortunately , they usually just key in on one character whose main objective is to be funny ( jar-jar binks , anyone ? ) . however , this usually backfires because the character is never fully developed . this is not the case in a civil action . they have comedy coming from all sides . whether it be duvall's inane questions or macy's sharp anger , the laughs come in a steady pace . granted , it's not roll in the aisle funny , but it provides a nice addition to the film . the plot is terrific- somewhat . the setup is nice with the film actually starting with a victory in the courtroom . then the case that will make or break jan ( travolta ) 's career rears its ugly head . they find out the goldmine involved with the case and wind up taking it . however , budgets soon flounder and jan finds himself in deep debt . i will not spoil the rest , although i must speak of the one downside to the film . the courtroom debates are great , but the actual problem they are fighting for is never fully explored . it left me somewhat confused , although the rest of the film is terrific . all in all , john travolta is back yet again in this great film . his supporting cast , consisting of macy and duvall , turn in tremendous performances , which ease the load on travolta . the film is smart , witty and thought provoking . not only does it gauge in-court battles , but also the various tolls it can take on the major players . a civil action provides everything a drama lover craves . 
