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Absence of Malice

1981 · directed by Sydney Pollack · 116 min
22,220 feet · Prominence
1,609th of 15,261 films scored
Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw58

$41m worldwide in 1981 — $148m in today's money.

As released$41mIn 2026 money$148mRank2,067 of 8,589In 198114 of 76

How Draw works

Inflation-adjusted worldwide box office, on one global curve, and nothing else. It does not know whether a film was good.

Praise78

Critics 73, awards 39. Half each, so Praise lands at 78.

Critics73 → 37Awards39 → 19

Oscars3 nominated Actor, Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay
How Praise works

Half critics, half a tiered award record where Picture and Directing carry most of the weight. Praise is the verdict at the time; Legacy is the verdict since.

Legacy25

Judged directly: Journalism drama, largely forgotten.

Verdict25 of 100IMDb6.9 from 16kWikipedia10k views a monthAge45 years

Scored beside it · 2,210 of 3,430 films judged

If it does not belong in this company, the number is wrong.

How Legacy works

Legacy is a judgment, not a formula. A film can be adored by critics and culturally quiet, or lightly reviewed and permanently lodged in the culture, and no arithmetic over IMDb numbers tells the difference. Every signal behind it keeps updating.

draw 58 praise 78 legacy 25averages 54, which places it at22,220 ft
How the three become one number

Added, not multiplied, so a film transcendent on one pillar and weak on another is not zeroed out. A compression curve then squeezes the top, because the seven greatest films ever made should not be four thousand feet apart.

In these careers — elevation for this film

Paul Newman22,475 ft