The Onion Field

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The Onion Field

R,

1979,

2h 2m,

Crime/

Drama

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Watchlist

Watchlist

87%

15 Reviews

Tomatometer

64%

1,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

15 Reviews

64%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Charismatic psychopath Greg Powell (James Woods) teams up with Jimmy Youngblood (Franklyn Seales), a petty thief. Driving in Los Angeles in 1963, they are pulled over by Detective Hettinger (John Savage) and his partner, Campbell (Ted Danson), for an illegal U-turn. Panicked, Powell kidnaps the officers and kills Campbell. Hettinger escapes, and his description of the men leads to their arrest. As both men evade prosecution with legal tricks, Hettinger is racked with guilt over his survival.

Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

Sep 10, 2011

The Onion Field is a serious and most uncompromising movie. It lacks, however, the sort of disciplined craft that might have made it a powerful and affecting one.

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Variety Staff

Variety

Mar 26, 2009

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.

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

Jan 26, 2006

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.

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Jan 17, 2024

If you want to submit yourself to the brutal experience of a perfectly documented atrocity, don't miss this. [Full review in Spanish]

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Travis Johnson

Celluloid and Whiskey

Sep 19, 2021

It's a very downbeat film in that '70s realist mode, but absolutely arresting (heh!) nonetheless.

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Jesús Fernández Santos

El Pais (Spain)

Aug 12, 2019

If the story weren't based on true events, it would nevertheless be fascinating because of its precise and impeccable technical mastery. [Full Review in Spanish]

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Feb 2, 2019

The best thrilling courtroom movie ever made!

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Harold Becker

Director

John Savage

Det. Karl Francis Hettinger

James Woods

Gregory Ulas Powell

Franklyn Seales

Jimmy Lee "Youngblood" Smith

Ted Danson

Det. Ian James Campbell

Ronny Cox

Det. Sgt. Pierce R. Brooks

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Synopsis

Charismatic psychopath Greg Powell (James Woods) teams up with Jimmy Youngblood (Franklyn Seales), a petty thief. Driving in Los Angeles in 1963, they are pulled over by Detective Hettinger (John Savage) and his partner, Campbell (Ted Danson), for an illegal U-turn. Panicked, Powell kidnaps the officers and kills Campbell. Hettinger escapes, and his description of the men leads to their arrest. As both men evade prosecution with legal tricks, Hettinger is racked with guilt over his survival.

Director: Harold Becker
Producer: Walter Coblenz
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 7, 1979, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Runtime: 2h 2m

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