Product Details

• Actors: John Savage, James Woods, Franklyn Seales, Ted Danson, Ronny Cox
• Directors: Harold Becker
• Writers: Eric Roth, Joseph Wambaugh
• Producers: Walter Coblenz
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• VHS Release Date: October 5, 1999
• Run Time: 122 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00000JZIJ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #70,165 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Have you ever heard of the 'Little Lindbergh' Law?", March 19, 2002

By 

Robert J. Schneider (Tacoma, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Onion Field [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Those are the bone-chilling words spoken by kidnapper and soon-to-be killer Gregory Powell (brilliantly portrayed by James Woods) just seconds before fatally shooting Sgt. Ian Campbell (sensitively portrayed by a pre-"Cheers" Ted Danson) near an abandoned onion field in the disturbing, psychologically intense film THE ONION FIELD (1979). This film, directed in an appropriate brooding, deliberate style by Harold Becker, recounts the events that took place on March 2, 1963, as well as the aftermath of subsequent trials that took their mental toll on Sgt. Karl Hettinger (brilliantly portrayed by the underrated Method actor John Savage).

Brilliant police novelist Joseph Wambaugh, whose earlier work "The Choirboys" became warped in the screenplay adaptation process and, as a result, got turned into an occasionally funny but ultimately unsatisfying movie in 1977 (in which James Woods, not coincidentally, had appeared), made sure this time that he had complete control over the screenplay for THE ONION FIELD. In doing so, the film version remains faithful to the events described in the book, as it recounts the slow build-up to the terrible crime in parallel scenes; one showing the criminals, and the other showing the police officers before their fateful meeting. It also shows the slow psychological breakdown that is suffered afterwards by the surviving officer, who is tortured by a seemingly endless cycle of trials as well as the derision of his police superiors who felt that he could have done more to prevent the tragedy.

The only major fault that I find in the film is its irregular chronology of the aftermath; it provides no dates for each scene, which is bad because a scene that takes place days after the previous one will be followed by a sudden jump of ten or more years into the future. This gets confusing to the viewer, who will suddenly--an unexpectantly--find a longhaired 1970's Gregory Powell spouting out prison law to a fellow inmate following a scene where the crewcut '60's Powell is defending himself in court. Also, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that (temporarily) outlawed capital punishment, thereby instantly commuting Powell and Jimmy Smith's death sentences to that of life imprisonment, is barely even mentioned, despite its obvious significance. Nevertheless, THE ONION FIELD is a compelling, and faithful, dramatization of one of the most shocking murder cases of the 1960's. It is just another small piece of American history, and is recommended for anyone who wants more insight into the development of our modern legal and law enforcement systems. Of course, I also recommend it for everyone who considers themselves to be film buffs. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars They don't make 'em like this anymore, March 19, 2001

By 

D. Hartley (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Onion Field [VHS] (VHS Tape)

"The Onion Field" brought up the tail end of a "golden era" of intelligent, gripping and realistic American crime dramas that began with 1967's "In Cold Blood", and continued through the 70's with films like "Serpico" and "Dog Day Afternoon". Director Harold Becker ("City Hall", "Sea Of Love") assembles the perfect cast to portray the true story of a kidnapping and cold-blooded murder of an L.A. police officer in 1963. John Savage's usually distracting tics and twitches are put to good use as the high-strung, guilt-ridden cop who survives the harrowing incident. James Woods infuses his edgy, psychotic cop-killer with an underlying native intelligence that makes him even more frightening than usual. Newcomer Franklyn Seales is quite memorable in a layered performance as Woods' conflicted accomplice (unfortunately, Seales all but vanished after this potentially star-making role). Ted Danson and Ronny Cox also give excellent support. The scene dramatizing the "onion field incident" itself chills the viewer with the same unblinking realism that made "In Cold Blood"'s deliberate, step-by-step re-enactment of the Clutter killings so haunting. The film can also be seen as an unflinching look at the American justice system, and the resulting lose/lose scenarios that sometimes occur on both sides of the docket. Riveting and unforgettable.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars POWERFUL AND FITTING ADAPTATION, November 8, 2004

By 

Gregory Saffady (Michigan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Onion Field (DVD)

The studio brass finally got it right when they let Joseph Wambaugh write and supervise the production of his (then most) powerful non-fiction masterwork. THE ONION FIELD is one of 1979's best films and it's brutality, both socially and judicially, is stunning. Harold Becker was the right director for this labor of love, an "A lister" at the time would have screwed it up and the film's intensity would have been lost under the hype. The acting is the core of THE ONION FIELD: James Woods was robbed of an Oscar nod. John Savage plays his heart out as the tortured Carl Hettinger and Ronny Cox is solid as Pierce R. Brooks (Brooks later wrote OFFICER DOWN CODE 3, which is a staple in any police library). Christopher Lloyd has a small important role as The Jailhouse Lawyer. This was justice for Wambaugh after his studio war over THE CHOIRBOYS (1977). Put this one in the win column.