Runaway Jury Review
by Shannon Patrick Sullivan (shannon AT morgan DOT ucs DOT mun DOT ca)November 6th, 2003
RUNAWAY JURY (2003) / ***
Directed by Gary Fleder. Screenplay by Brian Koppelman, David Levien, Rick Cleveland and Matthew Chapman, based on the novel by John Grisham. Starring John Cusack, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman. Running time: 127 minutes. Rated PG for mild language and mature theme by the MFCB. Reviewed on November 4th, 2003.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
Synopsis: Wendell Rohr (Hoffman) is the lead attorney in a high-profile civil trial against the gun industry. His opposition hires Rankin Fitch (Hackman) to serve as their jury consultant: for a price, he promises that he can ensure a selection of jurors sympathetic to the industry. But Nick Easter (Cusack) manages to finagle his way onto the jury, and with his girlfriend Maddie (Rachel Weisz) he schemes to hold the balance of power in the jury room.
Review: Don't go into "Runaway Jury" with any aspirations of witnessing a soul-baring drama about the gun industry. Don't expect an insightful analysis of the jury selection process, either. While the movie finds inspiration in both issues, its exploration of either is shallow at best. Instead, "Runaway Jury" is all about plot, and what a satisfyingly tangled web it weaves. Enough balls are thrown up in the air to keep the viewer interested (what is Nick and Marlee's motivation? Will Fitch track them down in time? Will Wendell sacrifice his principles for the greater good?) but "Runaway Jury" successfully juggles all of them. There's never a point where the film feels too convoluted nor too diffuse, and the climax is exciting without being rushed. Even better, the acting is superior to what one would normally anticipate from a courtroom drama. It would be easy to populate "Runaway Jury" with caricatures, but Hackman, for instance, is able to transform Fitch into a suitably loathsome villain without reducing him to moustache-twirling malevolence. Similarly, Cusack gets the audience behind his character while still leaving doubt as to Nick's intentions. There is one annoyingly gaping plot hole (how did Nick engineer his jury summons in the first place?) but in the main, "Runaway Jury" is very entertaining. It's no "12 Angry Men", but then it's not trying to be.
Copyright © 2003 Shannon Patrick Sullivan.
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