![]() Assistant US Attorney General Wells ( Wilford Brimley) ultimately calls all of the principals together. The story makes the front page again and causes an uproar over the investigation of the district attorney. But she breaks the story that the federal strike force is investigating Gallagher's attempt to bribe the D.A. Waddell, as a friend, warns Carter about the investigation to keep her out of trouble. They also find out about Gallagher and Carter's relationship. He and federal agent Bob Waddell obtain evidence of Gallagher's donations to Quinn's political committee. Rosen is mystified by Quinn's exoneration of Gallagher, so he places phone taps on both and begins a surveillance of their movements. Gallagher, thankful for Carter's help, also begins a love affair with her. Both before his meeting with Quinn and after Quinn's public statement, Gallagher makes significant anonymous contributions to one of Quinn's political action committee backers. calling off the investigation and issuing a public statement clearing him. He arranges a secret meeting with District Attorney Quinn (Don Hood), offering to use his organized-crime contacts to give Quinn exclusive information on Diaz's murder in exchange for the D.A. Nevertheless, she attempts to make it up to him by revealing Rosen's role in the investigation. Carter goes to Gallagher to apologize, but an enraged Gallagher assaults her. The paper's editor tells Carter that Perrone has died by suicide. When the paper comes out the next morning, Perrone picks up the copies from her neighbors' yards before they can be read. A devout Catholic, she does not want Carter to reveal the abortion, but Carter includes it in the story anyway. Teresa Perrone ( Melinda Dillon), a lifelong friend of Gallagher, tells the reporter that Gallagher could not have killed Diaz because Gallagher took her out of town to get an abortion that weekend. Local crime boss Malderone, Gallagher's uncle, has him followed, just in case he talks to the government. Gallagher's business is shut down by union officials who are now suspicious of him since he has been implicated in Diaz's murder. Gallagher comes to the newspaper's office trying to discover the basis for the story, but Carter does not reveal her source. ![]() As it turns out, Rosen is doing a bogus investigation and has leaked it with the purpose of squeezing Gallagher for information. The story was written by Miami Standard newspaper reporter Megan Carter ( Sally Field), who reads it from a file left intentionally on the desktop of federal prosecutor Elliot Rosen ( Bob Balaban). The paper indicates that he is being investigated in the disappearance and presumed murder of a local longshoreman's union official, Joey Diaz. Miami liquor wholesaler Michael Gallagher ( Paul Newman), who is the son of a deceased criminal, awakens one day to find himself a front-page story in the local newspaper. The title refers to one of the defenses against libel defamation, and is used in journalism classes to illustrate the conflict between disclosing damaging personal information and the public's right to know. Absence of Malice is a 1981 American drama neo noir thriller film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Paul Newman, Sally Field, Wilford Brimley, Melinda Dillon and Bob Balaban.
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