Absence of Malice

Absence of Malice

Year: 1981

Runtime: 116 min

Language: English

Director: Sydney Pollack

DramaThrillerRomance

A sensational news report mistakenly implicates businessman Michael Gallagher in a financial scandal, turning him into a target of public suspicion. Reporter Megan Carter, initially driven by ambition, finds herself responsible for the damage inflicted on Gallagher's reputation and personal life. As Gallagher fights to clear his name, Carter must grapple with the ethical implications of her profession and the profound impact of her reporting. The film explores themes of truth, justice, and the potential for devastating consequences when facts are distorted.

Absence of Malice (1981) – Spoiler-Free Movie Summary & Plot Overview

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In the humid, sun‑drenched streets of Miami, the pulse of the city is measured by the relentless chatter of its newspapers and the quiet power of its entrepreneurs. The world of the film is one where a single headline can ripple through neighborhoods, sway public opinion, and upend lives before the ink has even dried. Against this backdrop of glossy storefronts and shadowed docks, the story explores how truth can become as slippery as the Gulf’s tide, and how ambition can clash with conscience in a pressure‑cooked media landscape.

Michael Gallagher is a charismatic businessman whose name becomes the center of a sensational news story that mistakenly links him to a scandal of great magnitude. As his reputation teeters on the edge, the film captures the suffocating weight of public suspicion and the way society’s quick judgments can threaten a man’s personal and professional world. The tone is tense yet measured, inviting the audience to feel the uneasy balance between fame and infamy that defines Gallagher’s existence.

Megan Carter is a driven reporter eager to climb the ranks of a prestigious newspaper. Her ambition pushes her to chase a story that promises a career‑making scoop, but the rush of breaking news blinds her to the human cost of the narrative she constructs. When the fallout begins to surface, Carter is forced to confront the ethical quagmire that journalism can become—a tug‑of‑war between the pursuit of a compelling headline and the responsibility to the very people she writes about.

The film thrives on the uneasy partnership that forms when Gallagher and Carter’s paths cross, each seeking redemption in the other’s world. Their dynamic fuels a meditation on accountability, the fragile nature of reputation, and the delicate dance between power and integrity. Through moody cinematography and a restrained, thoughtful script, the story invites viewers to ponder how easily facts can be distorted and what it takes to reclaim truth in a city that never stops talking.

Last Updated: August 10, 2025 at 14:11

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