“The Runaway Jury” (20th Century Fox)
As a general rule John Grisham novels make good movies. This was true with “The Firm,” “The Pelican Brief,” “The Client” and “A Time To Kill.” Now we have a new movie based on a Grisham book in theaters. It is titled “The Runaway Jury” and it is two hours of solid entertainment.
The plot concerns two sides doing battle in a courtroom. One side is the spouse of a man gunned down in his office. The opposite side is the manufacturer of the gun that was used to kill him. The lawyer for the prosecution is played by Dustin Hoffman. The opposing counsel is played by Bruce Davison.
This movie, however, is not about the attorneys in the case. It is about the “jury experts,” those people hired to do everything they can to make sure the right jury is selected, and in the extreme to make sure the jury votes the correct verdict. Jeremy Piven plays the prosecution’s expert and Gene Hackman plays the expert for the defense.
The wild card in all this is a young man named Nick Easter (John Cusack). At the start of the film he has been summoned for jury duty. Quickly we learn that he plans to manipulate the jury to do his bidding. His girlfriend Marlee (Rachel Weisz) is helping him with his plan.
As the trial rages, Marlee contacts Rankin Fitch (Hackman) and offers him the jury verdict for a price. She makes the same offer to Wendall Rohr (Hoffman). They want proof she can deliver the right verdict and so she begins to make plans to prove her power.
This basic scenario sets up the drama and excitement of the movie. Combined with strong performances from the four leads, this movie delivers a powerful punch of emotional conflict.
Hackman is at his oiliest, schemiest best in this role. He makes Fitch a man you want brought down – and fast. Hoffman is sincere and strong as Rohr. Weisz is tough and crafty as Marlee; while Cusack is the smooth and steady central focus of the film.
The movie is rated PG-13 for profanity and violence.
There are holes in the plot that come to mind after the movie is over and this keeps it from being totally successful. Still the energy and the drama will keep any audience entertained. This should be enough to make “The Runaway Jury” a runaway hit.
I scored “The Runaway Jury” a legal 7 out of 10.
