Synopsis
An LA police officer is murdered in the onion fields outside of Bakersfield. However, legal loopholes could keep his kidnappers from receiving justice, and his partner is haunted by overwhelming survivor's guilt.
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Cast
- John SavageKarl Hettinger
- James WoodsGregory Powell
- Franklyn SealesJimmy Smith
- Ted DansonIan Campbell
- Ronny CoxPierce Brooks
- David HuffmanDistrict Attorney Phil Halpin
- Christopher LloydJailhouse Lawyer
- Dianne HullHelen Hettinger
- Priscilla PointerChrissie Campbell
- Beege BarketteGreg's Woman
Recommendations
- 80
Newsweek
The Onion Field is one of the best films of the year, a powling, gripping, disturbing movie that has its own far-from-simple vision of evil in our wretched and sinister cities. [24 Sep 1979, p.107] - 70
Variety
James Woods as the near-psychotic Powell is chillingly effective, creating a flakiness in the character that exudes the danger of a live wire near a puddle. - 70
Time Out
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. - 60
Empire
Thoughtful trial movie with a disturbing edge. - 60
TV Guide Magazine
Good acting and careful direction by Becker make it worth seeing, but the violence and the language may be too graphic for some tastes. - 60
The New York Times
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. - 50
Washington Post
The movie version of The Onion Field offers a compelling buildup of suspense and apprehension, culminating in the shocking murder of a young policeman. But it gradually begins to diminish in force, transforming a gripping, realistic reenactment of a murder case into a prosaic and somewhat baffling grind. [19 Oct 1979, p.B1] - 50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Except in the performances of John Savage, as Hettinger, and James Woods, as Powell, there is little attempt to probe the reasons for behavior, and except in the stylized filming of the murder, there is little attempt to assign special importance to one event over another. The picture is a textbook example of the limits of objective reporting. [06 Oct 1979]
