The Onion Field (1979) on Netflix
Greg Powell, a disturbed ex-con, recruits the petty thief Jimmy Smith as his partner. Los Angeles detectives Karl Hettinger and Ian Campbell pull the pair over for an illegal U-turn.
- Netflix3.5/5
- IMDb6.8/106,299 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes86%
Trailer
Plot summary
In Los Angeles in 1963, Karl Hettinger and Ian Campbell work as detectives for the Los Angeles Police Department. One evening they pull over a car for an illegal U-turn, judging the vehicle suspicious. Inside are Greg Powell, a disturbed ex-con, and Jimmy Smith, also known as Youngblood, a petty thief whom Powell has recruited as his partner. The two are on their way to commit another robbery. The traffic stop turns into a standoff, and the detectives are taken captive and driven out of the city. In the aftermath, the men involved recount the evening and what went wrong.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Onion Field (1979)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- James Woods' performance as Greg Powell was the film's most widely praised element and it earned him his first Golden Globe nomination.
- Wambaugh was determined to make a film superior to the 1977 adaptation of his novel The Choirboys, whose script was written by another writer. He sued the makers of The Choirboys and had his name removed from the credits.
- The film was shot on location in Valencia, Los Angeles, Maricopa and Taft in California; a courtroom of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County served for the trial scenes, and the jury panel was taken to an onion field in Valencia to inspect it as a replica of the scene of the crime.
- Wambaugh helped to produce the film and chose the cast and crew himself, among them actor Ted Danson, who made his film debut in it.
