The Accused has three things that make it great: Kelly McGillis, Jodie Foster, and a case where lots of the blame is placed upon the victim. You must look at your own principles and see just how far in the wrong all the parties were, and the two leads make sure you think long and hard.Jodie Foster may be a child star, but this movie was her breakout role as an adult. Sure she did Taxi Driver before she was even a teenager, but in this we get the next stage of Jodie Foster. And out of all the roles in her illustrious career, I honestly think that her performance as Sarah Tobias stands as her best. Even better than Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs. Sure Silence is a better film than The Accused, but looking at both of Foster's performances it is clear that Sarah comes out superior. While Foster was the standout and the movie as a whole did receive praise, I just wish that there was more praise towards Kelly McGillis. She actually was a victim of rape when she was was young and initially wanted the part of Sarah. But she does just fine as the determined prosecutor Kathryn Murphy. Jodie Foster isn't that much better than McGillis. She is, but just by a little bit. McGillis plays the role with such conviction and power. So the general story of The Accused is a trashy young woman gets gang-raped in the back of a bar after they all get drunk, so she gets a lawyer to bring justice. The max that the rapers will get is 5 years in jail, but they will likely get out in less than a year. This is because since all the parties got drunk and Sarah was practically putting on a sleazy sex show, so she arguably instigated and provoked her own rape. I'm not siding with the perps or sympathizing with them, but she needed to be the one to control how much alcohol and pot she consumed. She is pretty low-class so she must know that creeps hang out in bars, she must have experience. But this movie is trying to say that no matter what, rape is NOT okay. The other part of the case deals with the hecklers who cheered while the rape was in session. Those guys get put behind bars, and the actual rapers get the full sentence. The lawyer that defends the hecklers is incredibly stupid as I just kept saying "Duuuuhhhhh!!" every time he finished a sentence. It is also during this last act when a flashback of the rape is shown through the honest eyes of an onlooker too scared to intervene. Even if law does not interest you, watch it just for Kelly McGillis and Jodie Foster.

The accused truly is one of the best pieces of film I've ever seen in my life. First of all, Jodie foster just absolutely shines in her starring role. Jody really brings the emotion and the raw realness, I mean there is absolutely no doubt that her character was raped in the movie, her performance is so focused and it is absolutely heartbreaking, you will most definitely need to bring tissues if you decide to view this film. Kelly is amazing here too, she works absolutely tirelessly for Jodie and her case, and you can see the clear dedication in her character to bring true, honest justice. The dialogue and the script is so top notch and it really brings the entire movie to life. The movie also brings the issue of rape to life, it shine some light on rape victims and the entire issue of rape and how it affects the victims. It also shows that no participant should ever be let off the hook or get away, because truthfully, even if you don't physically rape someone if you cheer them on, then you are participating, and you are just as guilty as the actual rapist(s). This movie depicts that rather graphically in one scene, which was 100% needed and necessary for the movie, it needed to depict and show the actual assault in order for the audience to get the full/entire affect of that occurred. I definitely recommend the accused to mature audiences that can handle the tough subject matter and want to see a fantastic drama.

The female leading star deserved her (second) Oscar for playing the famous Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs, and I had always wanted to see the film that she won her first Oscar, because I heard about what it was about, and I definitely didn't miss out on it. Based on true events, the film opens at a bar, young woman Sarah Tobias (Oscar and Golden Globe winning, and BAFTA nominated Jodie Foster) is running out frantically, while a young man is calling from a telephone box on the opposite side of the road to call the police about an incident, and going to the nearest hospital she is covered in blood and severe bruises, she confirms that she was raped while other drunk spectators cheered it on. District attorney Kathryn Murphy (Top Gun's Kelly McGillis) is assigned to defend her in her case, and off-screen she is successful in putting the gang of rapists, but after this the case is dropped after a plea bargain is made with the guilty men, but this only angers the young woman. Sarah is enraged by this deal, and more specifically because she has not spoken to a court room with her witness statement, but, after a car accident involving one of the men who was cheering in the bar, the case is reignited to attempt the prosecution of the three men who were cheering and solicited the rape. Sarah's friend Sally Fraser (Ann Hearn) works as a waitress at the bar and gives her witness statement in court, that she was aware that a rape was going on but feared to intervene, but she confirms the identities of the men who were cheering it on Kurt (Kim Kondrashoff), Danny (Woody Brown) and Bob Joiner (Steve Antin), they have three attorneys to defend them. Sarah is then called in and questioned by Kathryn to give her personal recollection of the night where she was gang raped, describing in graphic detail what the men penetrating and restraining her and her being helpless to stop it or call for help, and of course recalling the men who cheered it all on. Then the key witness Kenneth 'Ken' Joyce (Bernie Coulson), the young man who called from the telephone box and a supposed friend of the accused men, is called to stand, and as he describes his version of events a flashback shows the entire night as it happened, from beginning to end (the point where the film opened), where Sarah was dressed rather provocatively, held down on the pinball machine, and one at a time raped by three or so men while those accused watched. The testimony from the defence is given to try and convince the jury to allow three "innocent" men to go free, but of course Kathryn fights hard to make it clear that what happened to Sarah cannot be called "nothing", do everything she can to convince them that the young woman was raped and that the men did indeed watch, laugh and encourage it to happen unwatched by the other bar occupants, and in the end the three men are all found guilty and not given parole, so Sarah and Kathryn happy justice is served. Also starring Leo Rossi as Cliff 'Scorpion' Albrect, Carmen Argenziano as D.A. Paul Rudolph, Tom O'Brien as Larry, Peter Van Norden as Attorney Paulsen and Terry David Mulligan as Lieutenant Duncan. McGillis is pretty good as the lawyer who is at first resilient but then determined to get to the bottom of the rape case and prove the truth, but of course the film is all about Foster who is absolutely superb as the young woman abused by both hideous sexual assault and the law system but comes through as a moving and equally determined victim. The story is well written, performed and paced, the court room scenes are as gripping as any I have seen before in other films of a similar standard, and the subject matter means that there are some disturbingly explicit hard to watch moments, but this all combined makes it a distinctive and compelling drama. Jodie Foster was number 23 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars. Very good!

Jodie Foster is a woman who gets gang raped at a pinball machine at a bar in this based on a true story movie that won Oscars. While at the first trial for rape, the perpetrators receive a light sentence, for what Foster believes to be because of her character and how she was dressed - the "she shouldn't have been out at night or dressed that way" excuse. She hires Kelly McGillis to charge the men again and it plays out in court. The movie gives different POV's and shows graphic details of the attack several times. Foster gives an outstanding performance. The actors who play the perpetrators are stereotypes however and it does diminish a bit from the overall film. The movie is a definite roller coaster ride and will stay with you afterwards. A sign of a good movie