Although the structure of the screenplay for this legal drama from director Michael Apted is moderately by the numbers, the film rivets with its attention to character development and dialogue against a backdrop of exploring issues of professional dilemmas and family dysfunction. What Class Action (1991) is really all about, however, is the generation gap, as a father and daughter represent two utterly opposite approaches to life and the law. One is rapaciously bottom-line yet ethical (and therefore modern), the other idealistic but shamelessly self-aggrandizing (representing the era of free love and civil protest). Gene Hackman is at his best in the role of a flawed legend, while Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio holds her own in scenes opposite a great actor doing some of his best work in a decade. The real star of Class Action, however, is a well-told story cast with actors selected for their ability and not their visually pleasing qualities.