The Accused Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Mill

The sexual assault in "The Accused" takes place in a bar called The Mill, on Mill Road. This establishment caters mainly to young adult males, with a sports bar in the front and a game room in the back of the premises. The events in "The Accused" are supposedly based on a real-life gang rape which happened in a New Bedford, Massachusetts, bar in March 1983.

Answer: Sexy Sadie

Sarah Tobias is a petite, foul-mouthed young woman who enters a bar after she has had an argument with her boyfriend. She is wearing a sexy outfit, so the name "Sexy Sadie" certainly applies to her. Sarah talks to her waitress friend Sally and then begins flirting with a man named Danny. From that moment on, Sarah becomes the victim of a sexual assault. Later in the movie, Sarah is seen driving a car with the license plate, "SXY SADI." She also has a dog named Sadie.

In 1968, The Beatles recorded a song called "Sexy Sadie" for their "White Album." Jodie Foster is brilliant in her portrayal of Sarah, for one sees that beneath the tough, crude exterior lies a vulnerable woman who is crying for justice. Foster won both an Oscar and a Golden Globe Award for her efforts in "The Accused."

Answer: On a pinball machine

Sarah is assaulted by three men in the back of the bar, in a game room. A young man named Danny begins dancing with Sarah, but he then lifts her onto a pinball machine. One of Danny's friends then holds Sarah down while Danny assaults the woman. Three men attack Sarah as a rowdy crowd of onlookers hoots at and applauds their actions.

Other patrons in the bar hear the commotion, but they don't bother to investigate what is happening. Sarah finally manages to break free by biting her third attacker.

She then runs across the street and hitches a ride to a local hospital.

Answer: Kelly McGillis

Kelly McGillis, from California, starred in several blockbuster movies during the 1980s, including "Witness" and "Top Gun." In the movie "The Accused", McGillis portrays Kathryn Murphy as a low-key, but assertive, deputy district attorney. The role of Kathryn Murphy was reportedly offered to Sigourney Weaver, but she declined the offer. Kathleen Turner was also reportedly considered for the Murphy role.

Answer: He makes a frantic emergency call to the police.

The character Kenneth Joyce plays a key role in "The Accused." He witnesses the sexual attack and deplores the actions of the unruly mob in the game room; however, he does not try to stop the attack. Instead, he runs across the street and calls the police from a pay phone. Later in the movie, Kathryn Murphy locates Kenneth; she and Sarah convince him to testify in court. One gets the sense that Kenneth feels terribly guilty about what has transpired in the game room.

Answer: Because Murphy negotiates a plea bargain with the defendants

In the beginning of "The Accused", Kathryn Murphy doesn't seem to have much sympathy for Sarah Tobias - the attorney believes that Sarah is a low-class, possibly immoral, young woman. Feeling that she can't win a case based on rape charges, Ms. Murphy makes a deal with the defense attorneys.

In exchange for pleading guilty to a lesser charge of "reckless endangerment", the three attackers will receive only a 2-year prison sentence. Sarah is extremely angry because the word "rape" is not included in the charge.

She is also upset and feels betrayed because she didn't have the opportunity to testify in court about the attack.

Answer: A scorpion

Cliff is the most hideous character in "The Accused." He instigated the second and third rapes of Sarah by shouting encouragement to the attackers. A waitress named Sally, who was in the bar during the attacks, mentions to Kathryn Murphy that a man with a scorpion tattoo was part of the disorderly mob in the game room.

Some weeks after the bar incident, Cliff taunts and torments Sarah in a record store parking lot - Sarah then rams her car into his truck, causing serious injuries to both people. At the hospital, Murphy notices Cliff's scorpion tattoo and surmises that Cliff was probably involved in encouraging the assault on Sarah.

Answer: Criminal solicitation

Feeling remorseful about her plea bargain deal with the sexual attackers, Kathryn Murphy decides to prosecute the men who instigated the rape - Cliff and two other boorish individuals. These men, Kathryn will argue in court, are just as responsible for the assault of Sarah as the attackers are because they cheered on and goaded the rapists. Criminal solicitation, explains Murphy, occurs when someone "commands, encourages or requests another person to engage in specific conduct which would constitute a crime." By attempting to convict these three men on charges of criminal solicitation, Murphy will also give Sarah the opportunity to testify in court about the events which transpired in the game room. Murphy is determined to convict the onlookers even though her boss is not exactly thrilled about taking the case to trial.

Answer: An astrological chart

Throughout the movie, Sarah tells Kathryn Murphy that astrology is her hobby and passion; Murphy doesn't seem particularly impressed. Sarah learns that Murphy is a Leo. In the final scenes of the movie, as the jury is deliberating the fate of the onlookers, Sarah gives Kathryn an astrological chart. Sarah states that Kathryn is extremely lucky because Murphy resides in "The Tenth House" - the house of social status and advancement. Murphy is touched by the gift and requests Sarah's autograph. The two women have finally learned to respect each other.

Answer: Play with her dog

Thanks largely to the testimony of Kenneth Joyce, the jury convicts Cliff and two other onlookers of criminal solicitation. As a relieved Sarah is leaving the courthouse, reporters surround her and ask her about her future plans. Sarah responds, "I just want to go home and play with my dog."