Absence of Malice

Wilford Brimley

[@briggsquantum]

Agreed one of the best movie scenes ever, and every actor did their job to perfection.
Brimley nailed his role, and the writing provided for him was masterful.
"Don't get too smart. Pretty smart meself".
Just great.

[@manuelvalencia1543]

Best scene in the entire movie, and this is a great movie with powerful performances by all.

[@williebgood1939]

If you ain’t seen this film put it on your bucket list
You won’t be disappointed

[@jeffmerklin2022]

Best line by Brimley was just before this video. "Wonderful thing, subpoeenies..."

[@peggyyoung8881]

My favorite of his lines was, "The last time there was a leak this big, Noah built himself a boat!"

[@Gamble661]

As soon as Paul Newman says "because they do good work" Wilford Brimley's character knows that he set the two government guys up. The guy questioning Newman is too dense to realize it but Brimley does. This is by far one of the greatest scenes in any movie ever. Wilford Brimley is amazing in it.
It's a great movie overall though it's kind of sad to compare it to today; today a DA wouldn't give a crap about a "PR problem" and would never resign no matter what they did. Government officials these days have no honor, no scruples and only leave their jobs kicking and screaming after being censured or indicted, and sometimes not even then. And the news media isn't all that interested in the truth anymore either, just their own agendas. This movie represents what things used to be like in the country before we lost our way.

[@AU88]

Brimley’s best role, and my favorite Newman film.

[@ewawilsons]

A US attorney can be fired unlike elected state/county attorneys.

[@kensmith2839]

That is just plain nonsense.

[@jimschardinger7342]

I love Wifred.

[@bocajrs7628]

I saw this movie when it came out in 1981. It is a great movie, but this part of the movie is excellent and is why it is a great movie. Brimley's character is based loosely on Senator Sam Ervin, who was chairman of the Senate investigation of Watergate. Ervin was from North Carolina, dressed in white suits, had a thick Southern accent and chewed tobacco. Over the years many movies and tv programs have used the same basic character. The wise and honest country lawyer I think the character is called.

[@markriley24]

Yeah one of those movies that no matter how many times you see it, if your channel surfing and you run by this movie you have to watch it just to see this scene.

[@meatomsmasher]

Great scene, Wilford Brimley at his best, his signature moment in cinema. Bravo...

[@JohnSmith-op1tc]

He was good enough as Pop Fisher in "The Natural" to help you ignore the fact that Robert Redford was a slim 48 year old trying to portray himself as a slugger.

[@austinteutsch]

When Gallager says "prove it" everyone in the room gooses were cooked.

[@jjbigfoot9077]

The face that Brimley wasn't al least nominated for a supporting actor Oscar for this role is a crime to me.

[@markforster6457]

The fate of many extraordinary character actors. Alas!

[@danwallach8826]

Doesn't need to be.
We, the audience, loved him.
Hell with the damn academy.
Don't mean nuthin'.

[@AU88]

I think the fact that it was only 10-15 minutes of screen time hurt him. But it was his best work.
When he reprised the role (albeit as postmaster general) in Seinfeld, I was over the moon.

[@viking956]

A crime? Really? That's got to be one of the dumbest comments in UA-cam history. I mean a 10 minute segment....and only a 10 minute segment....of any film usually doesn't qualify for an Oscar.

[@comeacross9]

@@viking956 Beatrice Straight in 1976 won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "Network". Her time on screen was about five minutes. Perhaps the foregoing will qualify as"one of the dumbest comments in UA-cam history." Have a pleasant week.

[@andrewfrantz5502]

John Harkins 1932-1999.
Don Hood 1940-2003.
Paul Newman 1925-2008.
Wilford Brimley 1934-2020.

[@DennisOvation]

My Dad (rest in peace) & I watched this ending scene many, many times. Brimley, what a scene stealer!! One of the best "thefts" of all time. Phillip Seymour Hoffman was good at that early in his career, too. Thanks for posting!!

[@markriley24]

Then Brimley says "you two otta get married" gotta love that one too. haha

[@JimmySteller]

Funny how that joke works whether gay marriage is legal or not.

[@casper1918]

One of the best acted scenes I've ever seen.

[@thomaspaciello1068]

One of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite movies. Thanks for posting it. The other great scene if where Sally Fields says they print the truth and Paul Newman corrects her, "You don't print the truth, you print what people say. The truth is not that easy."

[@JamesDavis-gr4xh]

Also toward the end of the film, Sally's character, a reporter, is interviewed by a colleague because she has unwittingly become part of the story. The other reporter zeroes in on how to describe her relationship with Newman's character. The colleague throws out a test phrase, something like they were dating or they were involved, and then says, "that's the truth, isn't it?" To which Sally pauses and replies, "No, but it's accurate." I worked in journalism for 20 years and sometimes played that clip for interns to point out the distinction between accuracy and truth. It's a cautionary tale to guard against arrogance and to encourage care in how something is written. Journalists can aim for the truth, but the best they can guarantee is accuracy -- and that's only if they've done due diligence and have integrity. As Newman says, "The truth is not that easy."

[@dsgregg]

One of my fav scenes ever.

[@markforster6457]

3:57 --- There's no more "By God, it ain't right" left in the world! Shameful!

[@michaelmcfeely6588]

This movie encourages contempt for government and contempt for journalism. I share this contempt.

[@gelchgolf]

This highlights what is wrong in todays world. There is no adult in charge who can clean house with gravitas. The buck stopped with him. Nowadays the buck stops no where and no one is accountable.

[@JimmySteller]

This was a fictional film. It was made in 1981. Ronald Reagan was president at the time, and one reason why he became president in the first place was because his political campaign urged the hostage-takers in Iran that he would give them a better deal if he was elected president, undermining Carter's attempts to resolve the matter. That's just one of many examples of corruption during his presidency.
Before Reagan, the US fought a corrupt and unjustifiable war in Vietnam after years of propping up the French military actions in the same region. It was done on the orders of five US presidents, Democrat and Republican alike, and they all knew full well that it was an unwinnable war. Yet they pressed for it anyway, resulting in untold numbers of dead and wounded. None of them ever answered for their roles in that.
I can keep going on and on, back to the fraudulent reasons why the Founding Fathers declared independence, and it would prove my point that today's world is no more problematic than yesterday's. In fact, I'd say it's a lot less problematic because at least now we all acknowledge the issues rather than brush them under the rug of blind faith in the establishment.

[@dougalmacrobbie1918]

Baloney. Wilford Brimley's FBI character is where the buck stops. He's why all these people have to account for their actions. Bob Balaban's character leaked info that put Newman's character in severe legal jeopardy. Sally Fields character aids and abetts Balaban's character by smearing Newman in the press. The DA went along with it and tanked his career.

[@dougalmacrobbie1918]

​​​​@@JimmyStellerKennedy had set the wheels in motion to get us out of Vietnam with an executive order pulling our "advisors" out by 1965. During his 2nd term. Killed after Kennedy was assassinated, with LBJ doing the bidding of the military industrial complex to escalate the war in 1965, which he did. Had Kennedy lived, our history would have been entirely different. Nixon was lying when he said he'd end the war, to the contrary he escalated by bombing Cambodia and increasing the anti-communist insurgency in Laos. Where Kennedy initially short-circuited CIA, MI-C intervention in Laos. Kennedy saw what was happening in Southeast Asia and knew it was a military quagmire. As advised by Gen. William Westmoreland. Henry Kissinger was Nixon's evil intermediary, using our POW's as shameless bargaining chips to drag out the Paris peace talks. How ironic that Vietnam is now one of our most solid trade partners. Reagan also aided and abetted the slow but sure destruction of the American middle class, massive tax cuts for the mega rich and large corporations. And borrowing trillons of $$$ from social security and ridiculously bloating the defense budget, racking up massive budget deficits. 12 years of Reagan/Bush deficits tanked our economy and ruined middle class prosperity. And taxed senior's social security pensions for the 1st time.

[@markforster6457]

Melinda Dillon was shamefully underrated, whatever part she played!

[@andrewfrantz5502]

Melinda Dillon 1939-2023.

[@yellowstone024]

It was heartbreaking when her character , Theresa Perone. saw the story in the paper and ran through the neighborhood stealing her neighbors newspapers

[@tjh32673]

No kidding. My Dad was the man who played Quinn. 10 years gone now.

[@markforster6457]

Your Dad (Mr. Don Hood, RIP) was a highly underrated actor, in movies and on television. I always enjoyed his work and he had quite an extensive resume, going back to the mid-70's. He sure made it look easy!

[@JimmySteller]

Twenty years now. Gone but never forgotten. I regularly rewatch this scene, and he is a big reason why.

[@keifferlindsey965]

Didn’t he also play the Governor of Tennessee in Marie with Sissy Spacek ?

[@tjh32673]

@@keifferlindsey965 That is correct.

[@dannycarentan917]

Such a great scene.

[@SuperGrandmother3]

my favorite scene in this movie.;)

[@andym5900]

A great film

[@elarson559]

Fav Line - Come sundown.............I'm gonna have someone's ass in my briefcase".
"Elliot, what do you see yourself doing after govt service?"
" You aint no Presidential appointee, the one that hired you was me. You got 30 days"
As he slams his briefcase shut, with Elliots ass in it! Oh, this was one of the best walk on scene stealings of all time!!!

[@dennisparker4935]

i think he says the last time they had a leak like that Noah built his self a boat ! ...LOL

[@rjwiechman]

As far as I'm concerned, Elliot got 29 days too long. He should have been ushered out of the building like Bobcat Goldthwait in Scrooged.

[@basaintl]

Thanks for putting this up.

[@deborahstrickland4624]

" its more than possible, Miss Carter its damn likely"

[@TheGoldcountry]

For all the young folks who thought Brimley was just a diabetes ad- show them this.

[@markforster6457]

Yes! Also, both Cocoon movies! I always thought that Wilford Brimley, Richard Farnsworth and Barry Corbin were character actors extraordinaire!

[@MrKeendriver]

Brimley @ 1:31....best "no shit" look ever.

[@jimschardinger7342]

James J. Wells ..cleaned some clocks.

[@GregEno]

Brimley may as well have worn a mask and held a gun. Somewhere he has this film among his personal belongings, unless he fenced it.

[@markriley24]

yessir it makes the movie Blu Ray worthy!

[@fjb4932]

On "Seinfeld", Wilford Brimley was the PostMaster General. Read Kramer the Riot Act for wanting to stop his mail. Kramer got off lite... ☆

[@DennisOvation]

God bless him, he was terrific. On his character: "He's a nice guy, just forgot about the rules," Brimley says, before he fries Quinn's nemesis Elliott. I meant it, my dad (gone 15 years now) and I watched this ending dozens of times over the years, along with "The Sting" card scene & the "Field of Dreams" ending, ya know? If I may ask, did your dad say that that movie was a great experience? He must have: great part, great material, one of the few movies that Mr. Newman did as he got older.

[@markriley24]

He stole the scene for sure, i put this on here because it was the easiest way for me to transfer it to my blog, thanks!

[@markriley24]

Here’s the funny this about me putting this video on here all those years ago. I’m just an old guy who started a UA-cam account to save and share videos with my family and friends, I’m obviously not a content creator or influencer or do I ever want to be. I didn’t know this video has more than a few views until my daughter told me last night. I put this particular video up because I love this scene. It was for me and the quality was acceptable for my purpose at the time. We were laughing because of some of the negative comments about how shitty the video looks. The only time I’ve gone viral is when I caught COVID two years ago. I don’t care about views of my stuff, there are plenty of really great content creators out there so check out one of my favorites Ragical The Unhallowed Knight. Funny commentary on cop cam videos.
The fact that anyone I don’t know has watched anything I’ve put on here is pretty funny to me and even more hilarious is that some have taken the time to criticize me.

[@bherenow]

Good movie, but Brimley steals the show with this scene.....this and his performance in 'Tender Mercies' are the high points of his career....

[@markforster6457]

Agreed. "Cocoon" was a light snack for WB.

[@wymple09]

Wish the video had a little volume so I could actually hear it.

[@markforster6457]

I appreciate this video. At full volume, with my hearing aid in, I can barely hear it. Judging by the clicks, I'm guessing you recorded the sound with a tape recorder.

[@UptownMovies]

You did the movie no favors with such a lousy quality replay. Can you do better?

[@mikemalone4729]

Thank you, nothing as long on yourube

[@Wings80]

Next time remember to record the sound with the volume up.

[@user-hz7xw5cd3b]

Wish I could be fired by Will Bremly…

[@markriley24]

Did you see him as the Post Master General on Seinfeld? It was hilarious! He played it the same way with Kramer and Newman. Lol😂

[@michaellatora5857]

Brimley is brilliant, so is the desperate Balaban and the stoic, understated Paul Newman.The only weak part in this scene is Sally Field, especially with that pathetic and clichéd " just me " line.

[@user-bb8lp3ei9x]

On the contrary. That moment highlighted how weak and pathetic her character was.

[@JimmySteller]

Field didn't write her own lines. You can't blame her for what she was directed to say.

[@yellowstone024]

“Prove it” Ha Ha ha

[@rjwiechman]

I loved Wilfred Brimley's character in this, but IMHO, he gave Elliott 29 days too many to clear out.
Edit- I see that I made an almost identical comment a year ago. I think my year old reference to Bobcat Goldthwaite's character in "Scrooged" being tossed out of the building was the better one.

[@davegee7395]

did you record this with your camcorder?

[@johnjean8743]

Whatever

[@hottubking1229]

Please delete this potato resolution video. Waste of bandwidth.

[@wxwaxone]

Why would you say this when it's probably the only place on UA-cam where you can get most of this terrific scene? I'd suggest that you post a better quality version yourself if you don't like this one, but "it's damn likely," as Deputy AG Wells would say, that people have tried and this is the only one that hasn't been copyright-stricken off UA-cam -- and that's precisely because of its low resolution, handheld cam, and suboptimal sound. Please stop treating the perfect as the enemy of the good.

[@markforster6457]

Can we fix the volume?