The Juror Review
by Chuck Dowling (chuckd21 AT southeast DOT net)September 12th, 1996
THE JUROR
A film review by Chuck Dowling
Copyright 1996 Chuck Dowling
(1996) *1/2 - C:Alec Baldwin, Demi Moore.
I don't like to repeat the words of other reviewers, but in this case there's really nothing else to say. To paraphrase David Spade, I didn't like "The Juror" the first time I saw it, when it was called "Trial By Jury".
Demi Moore plays an innocent single mom who decides that she wants to do the right thing when she's called to jury duty in the case of a big time mobster. Then hit man Baldwin shows up threatening to kill her and her son unless she convinces the rest of the jury to set the mobster free. Exciting stuff.
Now we get to see exactly one day of the trial which gives us no possible information that Moore could use to convince the rest of the jurors to vote guilty. Then, we get to watch Moore triumphantly change the jury's minds, like a reverse "12 Angry Men", complete with heroic score music.
One of the most ridiculous scenes in movie history is here. It's when Baldwin and Moore are driving towards Moore's son who is riding his bike home from practice. Baldwin is going to run over the kid unless Moore says whatever it is he wants to hear. Moore, for some reason, does nothing until the very last second except crying and begging. She doesn't grab the wheel and turn the car, something which she has the full potential of doing. She just screams.
Baldwin is the only highlight of the film, giving a good performance as the quietly psychotic mafia hit man. Now if the first hour of the film had been considerably shorter and the last 20 minutes greatly expanded, then we might have something here. But we don't.
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Chuck Dowling
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