A Civil Action
1998 · 115 min · Director: Steven Zaillian
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
Jan Schlichtmann, a tenacious lawyer, is addressed by a group of families. When investigating the seemingly non-profiting case, he finds it to be a major environmental issue that has a lot of impact potential. A leather production company could be responsible for several deadly cases of leukemia, but also is the main employer for the area. Schlichtmann and his three colleagues set out to have the company forced to decontaminate the affected areas, and of course to sue for a major sum of compensation. But the lawyers of the leather company's mother company are not easy to get to, and soon Schlichtmann and his friends find themselves in a battle of mere survival.
Emotional fingerprint
A Civil Action (1998) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Anxiety 30%, Empathy 25%, Satisfaction 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Anxiety30%
- Empathy25%
- Satisfaction20%
- Sadness15%
- Inspiration10%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Anxiety, Empathy, Satisfaction. Genres: Drama, Biography. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Anxiety, Empathy and Satisfaction. Its IMDb rating of 6.6/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 68/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Sadness
- Empathy
- Tension
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Curiosity
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion: Love
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Sadness | Empathy | Tension |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 3′ | Curiosity | 37 % | 20 % | 25 % | 23 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 9′ | Curiosity | 38 % | 18 % | 24 % | 26 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 14′ | Curiosity | 39 % | 9 % | 17 % | 33 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 20′ | Tension | 43 % | 12 % | 21 % | 38 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 26′ | Curiosity | 50 % | 32 % | 40 % | 36 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 32′ | Sadness | 63 % | 55 % | 57 % | 38 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 37′ | Sadness | 65 % | 56 % | 59 % | 40 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 43′ | Curiosity | 56 % | 38 % | 43 % | 44 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 49′ | Tension | 51 % | 24 % | 28 % | 46 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 55′ | Curiosity | 48 % | 19 % | 24 % | 44 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 60′ | Tension | 46 % | 24 % | 29 % | 44 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 66′ | Sadness | 51 % | 35 % | 40 % | 48 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 72′ | Tension | 57 % | 40 % | 43 % | 53 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 78′ | Tension | 56 % | 32 % | 33 % | 53 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 83′ | Tension | 56 % | 29 % | 30 % | 54 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 89′ | Tension | 65 % | 45 % | 46 % | 55 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 95′ | Sadness | 68 % | 54 % | 54 % | 49 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 101′ | Curiosity | 65 % | 49 % | 50 % | 39 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 106′ | Sadness | 60 % | 42 % | 43 % | 21 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 112′ | Love | 50 % | 30 % | 25 % | 7 % |
Man in a hole
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
William Cheeseman
Donna Robbins
Evelyn Love
Details
- Directed by
- Steven Zaillian
- Written by
- Steven Zaillian, Jonathan Harr
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 1998
- Runtime
- 115 min
- Country
- United States
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Anxiety
- Data updated
Where to watch
Rent
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