The Onion Field (film)

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The Onion Field
Theatrical release poster
Directed byHarold Becker
Screenplay byJoseph Wambaugh
Based onThe Onion Field
by Joseph Wambaugh
Produced byWalter Coblenz
StarringJohn Savage
James Woods
Franklyn Seales
Ted Danson
Ronny Cox
CinematographyCharles Rosher, Jr.
Edited byJohn W. Wheeler
Music byEumir Deodato
Production
company
Black Marble Productions
Distributed byAVCO Embassy Pictures
Release dates
  • September 7, 1979 (1979-09-07) (Toronto[1])
  • September 19, 1979 (1979-09-19) (New York City)
Running time
126 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2.6 million[2]
Box office$9,890,597 (US)[3] or $5 million[4]

The Onion Field is a 1979

drama film directed by Harold Becker and written by Joseph Wambaugh, based on his 1973 true crime book of the same name. The film stars John Savage, James Woods and Franklyn Seales, as well as Ted Danson
in his film debut.

Woods' performance as

Golden Globe
nomination.

Plot

In 1963, LAPD detectives Karl Hettinger and Ian Campbell are kidnapped by criminals Greg Powell and Jimmy "Youngblood" Smith. They are driven to an onion field near Bakersfield, where Campbell is shot and killed before Hettinger narrowly escapes as a cloud passes in front of the moon, plunging the onion field into darkness.

Hettinger's eyewitness account leads to the arrest of the two men, who are tried and convicted of first-degree murder. While they languish on death row, Powell and Smith learn how to exploit the legal system, and after a series of appeals, their sentences are reduced to life imprisonment following a court decision abolishing executions in California.

Meanwhile, Hettinger's physical condition and emotional state slowly deteriorate as his failure to act more aggressively on the night of the incident is questioned by those in authority and his fellow officers. Wracked with guilt and remorse, he experiences nightmares,

impotence, weight loss, kleptomania
and thoughts of suicide.

Cast

Production

The film was shot on location in

Superior Court of Los Angeles County
was used for the trial scenes. The jury panel was taken to an onion field in Valencia to inspect it as a replica of the scene of the crime.

Wambaugh helped to produce the film and chose the cast and crew, including actor Ted Danson, who made his film debut. Wambaugh reportedly was determined to make a film superior to the

The Choirboys
, the script of which written by another writer. Wambaugh sued the makers of The Choirboys and his name was removed from the credits.

Release

The Onion Field premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 1979[1] before opening in New York City on September 19. It grossed $196,716 in its first 5 days from 10 theatres in New York and then expanded to open in Los Angeles and Chicago.[6]

Reception

The movie opened to positive praise as a true story of justice mishandled. Janet Maslin of The New York Times observed: "This is a strong, affecting story but it's also a straggly one, populated by tangential figures and parallel plotlines. The criminals' histories are every bit as convoluted and fascinating as those of the policemen they abducted. Even the courtroom drama is unusually complicated, introducing a new legal team with each new trial.... The film is generally crisp and at times exciting, but it's also full of incidents that are only sketchily explained, and minus the all-important narrative thread that might have provided a clear point of view."[7]

Variety called the film "a highly detailed dramatization" and wrote that James Woods "is chillingly effective, creating a flakiness in the character that exudes the danger of a live wire near a puddle."[8]

Time Out London thought the film was "expertly performed" and added: "It's the usual heavy Wambaugh brew: police procedure closely observed without a trace of romanticism, suggesting simply that life in the force is psychological hell. So far, so good. But that very insistence on authenticity is followed by the film to the detriment of the narrative's dramatic structure; half way through, the whole thing begins to ramble badly. Engrossingly sordid, nevertheless."[9]

The Onion Field holds an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 15 reviews.[10]

Accolades

Recipient(s) Award Category Result Ref(s)
James Woods Kansas City Film Critics Circle Best Supporting Actor Won [11]
New York Film Critics Circle Best Supporting Actor (3rd place) Nominated [12]
National Society of Film Critics Best Supporting Actor (4th place)
(tied with James Mason for Murder by Decree) 		[citation needed]
Golden Globe Awards Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama [13]

Home media

MGM Home Entertainment released the film as a Region 1 DVD on September 17, 2002. The film is in anamorphic widescreen format with subtitles in English, Spanish and French. Bonus features include commentary by director Harold Becker and a featurette about the making of the film.

References

  1. ^ a b Adilman, Sid (September 12, 1979). "Strong Opening For Toronto Festival". Variety. p. 7.
  2. ^ "AFI|Catalog".
  3. ^ "The Onion Field (1979) - Box Office Mojo". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  4. ISBN 9780835717762
    . Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada
  5. ISBN 0-87951-479-5
  6. ^ "'Field' full of dollars". Screen International. September 29, 1979. p. 1.
  7. ^ Maslin, Janet (September 19, 1979). "The Onion Field (1979)". The New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  8. ^ "Review: 'The Onion Field'". Variety. December 31, 1978. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  9. Time Out London
    .
  10. ^ "The Onion Field". Rotten Tomatoes.
  11. ^ "KCFCC Award Winners – 1970-79". Kcfcc.org. 14 December 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  12. ^ "The Day - Google News Archive Search". News.google.com. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  13. ^ "Onion Field, The". Goldenglobes.com. Retrieved 16 September 2017.

External links

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