Class Action (1991)

In Class Action, in a suit against a major auto company, a famous crusading civil rights lawyer (Gene Hackman) goes up against his estranged daughter (Robin Hood's Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), an ambitious, smart, insecure associate at a big corporate law firm. Emotionally, this is twisty and painful stuff, at times a touch tearful, and veneered with a too-slick Hollywood gloss. As usual, though, Hackman is reliable, committed, and self-effacingly effective, and there are much worse ways to spend time than gazing at Mastrantonio. With a generally intelligent, funny script and an attention-gripping story, Class Action is the video equivalent of a good read. B