Curator Watchlist
The Accused
A harrowing, issue-driven courtroom drama anchored by Jodie Foster’s fierce performance. It is difficult to sit through, but its anger, urgency, and relevance still land hard.
Curator Watchlist
A harrowing, issue-driven courtroom drama anchored by Jodie Foster’s fierce performance. It is difficult to sit through, but its anger, urgency, and relevance still land hard.
Where to watch: Buy
Fri · 1h 51m
Director: Jonathan Kaplan
Starring: Jodie Foster, Kelly McGillis, Bernie Coulson
Out drinking one night after a fight with her boyfriend, three men brutally rape Sarah Tobias in a bar while people watch and cheer. District Attorney Kathryn Murphy takes the case; however, she allows the rapists to receive a mild sentence. A distraught Sarah decides to seek punishment for the men who witnessed and encouraged the rape. To get justice, Sarah must take the stand and revisit the night of her attack.
Jonathan Kaplan
Jodie Foster, Kelly McGillis, Bernie Coulson
A harrowing, issue-driven courtroom drama anchored by Jodie Foster’s fierce performance. It is difficult to sit through, but its anger, urgency, and relevance still land hard.
The Accused is not an easy recommendation, but it is an important one. It takes a brutal real-world subject and refuses to soften the damage, the shame, or the institutional failures surrounding it. The film’s power comes from how directly it confronts the audience with complicity, indifference, and the way a victim is often forced to relive the worst moment of her life in order to be believed.
Jodie Foster gives a performance of raw, combustible force, and the film is built around that intensity. Kelly McGillis brings steadiness and moral weight to the legal side of the story, while the direction keeps the material focused on accountability rather than sensationalism. Even now, the film feels painfully current in the way it frames victim-blaming and public spectatorship.
This is a serious, emotionally punishing drama, but it earns its place through conviction and craft. If you want a film that is likely to stay with you long after the credits, this is one of the defining examples of the genre.
Tarryn-tino (4★) · 392 likes
I don't even know what to say about this film tbh. It has easily one of the hardest scenes I've ever had to endure in any film ever - i just wanted that scene to stop, it was horrific. I felt physically ill and almost wanted to fast forward past it. What makes me feel even worse is how relevant so much of the film still is, almost 30 years later. Jodie Foster was amazing and her accolades were well deserved. I don't want to think about this film anymore and I don't think I will ever watch it again.
Sam (3★) · 289 likes
Here’s my take: Jodie in this > Jodie in silence of the lambs Silence of the lambs > The Accused Obviously, Silence is the better movie but I think her performance in this was way more powerful. She nailed a really difficult part and played it with such good character. You all aren’t gonna agree that she’s better here, so don’t call me out on it. Her line delivery was perfect and her emotion was extraordinary. I’m fully impressed and I think… more
RhodesMovie (4★) · 249 likes
After some research I discovered that Kelly McGillis was raped in 1982 after two men broke into her New York apartment. I watched her speak briefly about her ordeal in interviews recorded around the time of the release of The Accused. I'll start this review by paying tribute to her for the bravery it must have taken to visit this subject matter as I ponder the career of an actress who has been overlooked by her industry. McGillis plays a… more
Allison M. 🌱 (3.5★) · 159 likes
The worst thing wasn’t when Jodie Foster’s character was asked why she was dressed that way on the night in question. The worst part is that women are actually asked these questions. Watched on:HBO Max
bekah (4★) · 146 likes
the way these lesbians look at each other .. I got chills.
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sexual violence, victim-blaming, justice system, courtroom drama, trauma and testimony, accountability, public complicity, female resilience
courtroom drama, legal thriller, social issue drama, rape-revenge adjacent, trauma, 1980s cinema, serious tone, female-led, awards performance, procedural