Civil Action, A

Aroview: Fact-based account of a protracted courtroom duel between two corporations and small-town folk, whose children have been affected by chemical pollution, dramatised by the scriptwriter of SCHINDLER'S LIST. The family's unlikely champion comes in the form of legal barracuda John Travolta, who does a moral about-face when thwarted by Big Business and a foxy, scenery-chewing Robert Duvall. Skillful compression of the ethical issues and a sly sense of humour save this from being more Grisham-ish run-off.