Schlichtmann is an enigmatic character, and Travolta keeps his acting cards close to his chest. If I have a complaint about this movie, it's that we don't see enough of the lesser characters that populate Jonathan Harr's great book that the movie was based on, or the great character actors who play them. Kathleen Quinlan plays the leader of the families, an elementary school librarian who lost her son and a good part of her soul to leukemia. John Lithgow just blends into the background as a judge. Only William H. Macy is given any time at all as the harried accountant struggling mightily to pay bills and serve as the voice of reason.
Audiences play lots of roles in different movies.
Here, we are the jury in the case of Jan Schlichtmann, attorney at law. We get to examine his motives, try his character, and sit in judgment on his decisions. Inc. All rights reserved.