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

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.

melodrama

Absence Of Malice is a well-acted, smoothly paced melodrama that suffers from an illogical premise.

a rather soupy middle-aged romance labouring under a rather soupy middle-aged romance's aspirations to be an intelligent discourse about journalistic integrity

ABSENCE OF MALICE is a rather soupy middle-aged romance labouring under a rather soupy middle-aged romance's aspirations to be an intelligent discourse about journalistic integrity.

S. 'Kindness

-Delaney S. 'Kindness is really the absence of malice.

a murder mystery

If you’re unfamiliar with the genre, the genre’s basically a murder mystery without the gory details of violence and mystery solving using detective skills rather than the latest and greatest forensic testing.