The Onion Field

The Onion Field
Director: Harold Becker
Cast: John Savage, James Woods, Ted Danson, Franklyn Seales, Ronny Cox
Memorable Quote: “A cop who gives up his gun is a coward.”

The Onion Field is movie about a policeman killed in the line of duty, and could have been a by-the-numbers police procedural but is so much more mainly due to the subtle direction and the depth of the performances by the talented cast.

The Plot of the The Onion Field
The movie is based on the true story penned by former cop Joseph Wambaugh and delves deeply into the story of the cops and criminals involved in a cold blooded shooting of the young police detective. The movie starts as a small time criminal takes on a new partner to pull off stick-ups and burglaries. The leader of the duo Greg Powell (Woods) shows sociopathic tendencies, manipulating all those around him. His new partner (Seales) is fresh-out of prison and ripe for the pickings when he comes aboard a Powell’s little crime family.

Counter-posed to the plot line of the criminals is the story of two young detectives, Hettinger (Savage) and Campbell (Danson). They both seem low-key and fresh faced as they go about their job in a workman like fashion.

The story of these two cops and criminals covers one fateful night when the cops pull over Powell and his young partner. Powell panics and abducts the two detectives, driving them into the countryside to an onion field where he shoots Campbell. In the aftermath of the shooting, Hettinger escapes into the night.

Powell’s partner deserts him and later that night, Powell is apprehended. He gives up his young partner and they both end up in jail.

The movie shifts from a story about a crime to tell the protracted story on the ensuing trials and the effect it has on those involved in the shooting.

The Performances, Writing, & Direction of The Onion Field
The Onion Field showcases several fine performances with John Savage and James Woods getting the meatiest roles. Woods, who had mostly had smaller roles in TV and films until this role, is electrifying in his role of a sociopath with enough intelligence to manipulate those around him along with the legal system. Savage is equally engaging even though he takes a low-key approach to the character. His depiction of a man coming apart a piece at a time due to the effects of the shooting is riveting.

Franklyn Seales also brings his A-game to the role of the small time hood who gets over his head when he finds himself over-matched by his conniving partner. Even Danson is good as he provides extensive depth to his character even though he has limited screen time.

The story could have been a drab police procedural, but instead takes the viewer inside the minds of the crooks and the cops. We see real people and not cardboard or stereotypes. The strength of the movie is the source material of Wambaugh’s wonderful book about the shooting. Even though Becker takes a low-key approach to the subject, he lets the actors tell the story and with that choice he allows the movie to breath and move along at a natural and organic pace.

Summary Judgement on The Onion Field
The production values on The Onion Field seem akin to a TV movie of the 70s at times, but as the movie progresses you see that director Harold Becker has decided not to get in the way of the story using a simple approach, letting the story unfold and allowing the actors to get underneath their character's skins. Woods makes the movie with his entrancing performance, engaging and repulsing us at the same time. Savage also grabs us as his character slowly becomes unhinged in the aftermath of the shooting. Some viewers might find the beginning of this movie as little slow, but if they give it a chance, they’ll discover a real gem of a movie.