The Accused (1988)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Melvin W

  
  Sarah Tobias: What the hell are you talking about? You saw me at the hospital, what you think I asked for that? Is that what you think?  "The first scream was for help. The second is for justice." What this film does well is show a different side to a rape. It shows what… More
  Sarah Tobias: What the hell are you talking about? You saw me at the hospital, what you think I asked for that? Is that what you think?  "The first scream was for help. The second is for justice." What this film does well is show a different side to a rape. It shows what some believe to be true. That when a woman is raped, it is because she is asking for it. A lot of the people in this movie do just that. She was dancing around, drinking, having a good time; so it's alright to mount her up against the pinball machine. This movie reminded me of an argument I was in one time. We were talking for awhile, and the subject got around to abortion. Seeing as I'm prochoice, I was arguing with a guy who was on the other side of the issue. I finally asked him what if a woman was raped and impregnated? Would it be okay for her to have an abortion? To this, he said "No... this women are always asking for it." I left it at that. Now to be totally honest, I didn't really care for the movie as a whole. It's weirdly dated and almost feels like a tv movie. The score is awful, and the performances, for the most part, are average at best. There is one exception and the only reason I would give this a recommendation and say it is worth watching and that is Jodie Foster. Her performance here won her an Oscar. She would go on to win another for her performance in Silence of the Lambs as well, but this was her first. I don't know if this performance was totally deserving of an Oscar, but it was pretty damn good. The Accused revolves around a woman who was gang-raped while at a bar. The men who raped her get off pretty easy and the woman's lawyer feels bad about that, and takes all the men who were cheering the rape of to court. The reasoning behind the men who raped her getting off easy is sad. Because she had a history of partying and smoking weed; she was an unreliable witness. Still I don't think the movie generates enough questions about that. To me that was the whole movie, and it just wasn't done that well. Watch it for one of Jodie Foster's career defining roles. I went into expecting an amazing movie, but I'll admit that I came away from it fairly disappointed. It isn't the masterpiece I thought it was going to be, and everything outside of Foster's performance is average at best.

• Dean !

  
  A decent film, looking a little dated now. Not the best performances of either of the two leads, personally surprised to read Jodie got an Oscar for this? It's not really a courtroom drama either. An interesting story never the less which will make you want to see the outcome.

• Wahida K

  
  The first scream was for help. The second is for justice.

• Martin S

  
  Good movie....it pretty much lets the story do the job.

• Luke B

  
  The Accused starts off bravely by omitting the rape scene itself. It keeps us guessing as to whether or not a rape has taken place. It's also the perfect place for us as the audience in a legal drama such as this. The beginning also details the horrors a victim must go through… More
  The Accused starts off bravely by omitting the rape scene itself. It keeps us guessing as to whether or not a rape has taken place. It's also the perfect place for us as the audience in a legal drama such as this. The beginning also details the horrors a victim must go through after the rape itself. Countless pictures being taken, the most personal of questions being asked, having to return to the scene and worst of all the seedy world of law where deals are struck undermining the term justice. Foster is magnificent in a balanced performance of a strong woman who has been severely hurt. She makes no apologies for the way she dresses or acts and nor should she. McGillis is equally as engaging as a woman faced with many moral dilemmas. She can easily have the men put away, but not for the crimes they committed. It is only in the last part where we enter the courtroom does Hollywood get a grasp on proceedings. There's never any doubt as to what the verdict will be and this removes some very important tension.

• Candy R

  
  Jodie does an excellent job. Well worth the Oscar but the content of the movie is very disturbing.

• jay n

  
  jodie's dynamite, the film less so

• Lady D

  
  Jodie Foster plays an amazing role in this film. A powerfull film

• xGary X

  
  An earnest and worthy examination of a sensitive subject. Being a product of the cultural vacuum that was the 80s, it still feels overly sensationalist, but strong performances from the two female leads wins through.

• Dean M

  
  Great performance from Jodie Foster is the best thing about this truth-based tale of the waitress who goes to court after being gang-raped in a bar.

• Jeffrey M

  
  Bolstered by an award winning performance from Jodie Foster, probably her best, The Accused works as an effective study of victim-blaming and the criminal justice system. While I appreciated the willingness of the film to be bold in its' graphic nature, the overly neat ending and… More
  Bolstered by an award winning performance from Jodie Foster, probably her best, The Accused works as an effective study of victim-blaming and the criminal justice system. While I appreciated the willingness of the film to be bold in its' graphic nature, the overly neat ending and cliched script did hurt it at times. The perpetrators were also too one-note. Still, the deficiencies are generally outweighed by Foster. 3.5/5 Stars

• Alec B

  
  While the characters themselves only exist to explore the themes of the film, I have to say that it deals with the subject of rape in a very powerful and thought provoking way. To put the onlookers on trial is still controversial. I'd say that outside of the style of dress and… More
  While the characters themselves only exist to explore the themes of the film, I have to say that it deals with the subject of rape in a very powerful and thought provoking way. To put the onlookers on trial is still controversial. I'd say that outside of the style of dress and the music not much has really changed since this movie came out. Rape victims never have an easy time its 2010 and we still hear things like, "she is slut and was asking for it." Even though it has an incredibly disturbing scene I would advocate for its showing in schools everywhere. Rape may be the most serious problem on college campus's, and a film were those who encouraged and watched the rape are shown to be just as guilty as those that would be good for a lot of people to see.

• Marcus W

  
  Your classic 3 star, Sunday afternoon movie. Quality work from the leads and nothing to think about afterwards. Nasty rape scene though...

• Sunil J

  
  Jodie Foster completely deserved her Oscar in this as a heartbreaking rape victim.

• Miriam K

  
  Over rated.

• Sarah P

  
  Jodie Foster was excellent, but aside from that, it was pretty much just a typical 80's drama.

• Lee K

  
  Excellent flick that actually had me ( being a guy) hating guys lol. Jodie Foster is superb as a woman who is scorned one way or another and brave to fight her way out!

• Robert F

  
  The entire cast certainly gave great performances in this film. For Jo. Fost, I'd say she was excellent (and definitely deserving of the Oscar), but it's not her most memorable role for me. The story was very powerful - I found myself wanting to set fire to every rapist on… More
  The entire cast certainly gave great performances in this film. For Jo. Fost, I'd say she was excellent (and definitely deserving of the Oscar), but it's not her most memorable role for me. The story was very powerful - I found myself wanting to set fire to every rapist on the planet after watching this. On the other hand, a lot of the 'info gathering' parts failed to keep me interested, as did some (but not all) of the courtroom scenes. So again - great film, but not my favourite of Jodie's.

• Ina S

  
  Heartbreaking performance by Foster rightfully rewarded by the Academy. Important film that will never lose its significance. Painful to watch in parts, especially as a woman (I suspect that men probably can't connect quite as much).

• Barry L

  
  Powerful and a carreer maker.

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