When Tom Sanders (Michael Douglas) leaves his wife (Caroline Goodall) and children and heads off to work at DigiCom, he is convinced that he is about to be made Vice President of Advanced Operations and Planning. The Seattle-based high-tech hardware company is on the brink of a major merger with a software firm, and Tom expects not only a promotion but a financial windfall. At the office, however, he discovers that he has been passed over. Worse, the person who got the job is an old lover of his, Meredith Johnson (Demi Moore). She has become a ruthless corporate climber who knows that "power protects power."
When Meredith invites Tom to her office after hours and tries to seduce him, he fights her off. The next day, Meredith tells Bob Garvin (Donald Sutherland), the CEO who brought her on board, that Tom sexually harassed her during the meeting. Immediately taking Meredith's side, Garvin offers Tom a humiliating lateral move in the company, which he refuses. Instead, the increasingly isolated manager hires a lawyer (Roma Maffia) and files a sexual harassment suit against Meredith.
Disclosure is a riveting and slickly produced film about today's tough corporate climate. The top-notch screenplay by Paul Attanasio is based on Michael Crichton's bestselling novel. Director Barry Levinson draws out fine performances from his well rounded cast. Although the film's treatment of the subject of sexual harassment from the male point of view makes this drama unusual, the real theme is the ways in which the Tom's soul is violated again and again at DigiCom.
For example, lots of people in the company know that Tom has been passed over for Meredith Johnson but no one tells him. His boss is never interested in Tom's point of view; he just wants to get rid of the problem quickly. Two of Tom's closest co-workers refuse to believe he could have been victimized and, when push comes to shove, they abandon him. The final straw is when Sanders realizes that he has been targeted to be the scapegoat for problems in the production line that might threaten the merger. It seems that destroying a person is easier than admitting management mistakes.
What does it take to preserve your soul in the modern corporate workplace where mergers, downsizing, and job insecurity are rampant? Disclosure gives us a few clues. Find some allies who will not abandon you no matter what happens. When you are backed into a corner, stand your ground for the soul shows itself most clearly in life-and-death struggles. Always express your creativity and never give up on your personal values. And, finally, know this: luck and pluck can make the difference.