Lawyers are often characterized as money-hungry, over-confident, obsessive and occasionally even foolish people in television series, movies and jokes. These stereotypes become all too real after watching the film “A Civil Action,” starring John Travolta and Robert Duvall.This true story is set in the small town of East Woburn, Mass., where contaminated water was thought to cause the leukemia-related deaths of eight children. Jan Schlichtmann (Travolta) is a hard-nosed, personal injury lawyer motivated by money. He and his partners at Schlichtmann, Conway & Crowley are used to winning most of their cases. So, they take on the very costly polluted drinking water investigation to bring justice to the families who have lost loved ones and money to the law firm’s bank account.The lawsuit is brought against W.R. Grace & Co., a factory in Woburn, and Beatrice Foods, a leather tannery, because both companies allegedly dumped contaminated chemicals that tainted the drinking well of Woburn. Gradually, the lawsuit develops into a geological and legal showdown in the courtroom, leaving Schlichtmann destroyed by what only he thinks is right – an apology using money.Schlichtmann changes drastically from the film’s starting point to its end. He begins as a money-hungry lawyer who chooses cases that will benefit his pocket. The film begins with a scene of Schlichtmann pushing a handicapped man in a wheelchair while categorizing people by price. Gradually, after he becomes involved in the case, he forgets about his obsession with money and focuses solely on pride. He loses everything that means so much, but he keeps fighting. He is fighting not only for the families who have lost loved ones, but for himself, for his pride.Jerome Facher (Duvall), Beatrice Foods’ lawyer, and Schlichtmann fight the law on different sides. Facher simply dominated Schlichtmann with his craftiness and carefree attitude. Schlichtmann is Duvall’s counterpart with his tenacity and determination to get justice and with his very large ego. The two characters add intensity to the film by showing two types of attorneys. One who fights skillfully and humorously (Facher), and one who fights stubbornly and egotistically (Schlichtmann). The incredibly talented cast makes the film more intense, and allows the audience to love, to hate and even to shout at the characters “Why are you doing this?” Overall, the movie was worth seeing once. The language was easy to understand, even for those not majoring in law, and the story line was very believable – because it’s true – and moving.If you enjoy watching lawyers and distraught families fight over what is right and wrong, and an ending left to the real-life characters, then I recommend you take a few hours to sit down and watch “A Civil Action.”