The Accused (1988)

Before winning a Golden Globe and Academy Award for her portrayal of Clarice Starling in the Oscar-winning thriller The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Jodie Foster took home those same prizes for her harrowing performance in The Accused (1988). Loosely based on a 1983 crime in Massachusetts, this R-rated drama was considered controversial when it first came out due to the violent nature of its subject matter. Nevertheless, it proved to be a box office and critical success. In other words, Ms. Foster took the power back from the Hollywood boys with this “no means no” pic. Under the direction of Jonathan Kaplan, the film follows a scantily-clad Sarah Tobias (Foster) to a local bar. After drinking and flirting, she is brutally assaulted by three guys — Bob Joiner (Steve Antin), Danny (Woody Brown) and Kurt (Kim Kondrashoff) — on a pinball machine. To make matters worse, many of the patrons witness the act. Instead of calling 911, they cheer. District Attorney Katheryn Murphy (Kelly McGillis) reluctantly takes the case. Due to Sarah’s party-girl past, Murphy agrees to a plea bargain. But Sarah convinces her to go after the three thugs with everything’s she got as well as the dirtbags who were egging them on. It’s a rough watch, but a good one. During the infamous pinball machine scene, Mr. Antin, Mr. Brown and Mr. Kondrashoff bare their buns. Of course, this skintastic act could possibly foreshadow their characters’ time behind bars. After all, they don’t call prison the slammer for nothing!