Absence Of Malice

Sydney Pollack directs Paul Newman as Michael Gallagher, the innocent son of a long-dead Mafia boss who suddenly finds that he is the subject of a criminal investigation. Eventually he discovers that the press's source is intentionally pressuring him and hoping that he'll leak insider information in exchange for protection. Sally Field plays the reporter who stands behind her legal right as a journalist to exert the pressure--until she hears his side. The result is a drama in which the powerful and often prejudicial role of the press is convincingly depicted.