JohnHowardReid Review of The Onion Field

The Onion Field (1979)

Not exactly the stuff that dreams are made of! Nightmares maybe?

[7/10 · 13 October 2016]

This is a depressing but effective true story that comes to an unsatisfactory finish. Up to that point, it is engrossing, horrifying, well acted, and gamely directed with unusual competence by Harold Becker, here making only his second movie. Admittedly, production values are unstinting and 1969 is both faultlessly and seemingly effortlessly recreated. There are strong performances from almost all the players, though John Savage is inclined to mumble. All told, "The Onion Field" is a searing drama, but not exactly the stuff of entertainment. It is too true and too selective a documentary, despite its fascinating police, legal and prison procedure background.