Courtroom drama is an overrated genre.
But after a true count, the courts have given reason for a number of shoddy products that lack substance and are filled with gimmick. Perhaps this history, then, is the reason that Steve Zaillian's latest film, A Civil Action , is a rewarding experience. Gone is the Perry Mason-style grandeur, and with it the delivery of great orations. Instead, a large percentage of the movie's running time does not take place in a courtroom but in the real world of depositions and field work. Travolta is our star, playing real-life lawyer Jan Schlichtmann.