Review: Runaway Jury (*** 1/2)

RUNAWAY JURY
A film review by Steve Rhodes

Copyright 2003 Steve Rhodes

RATING (0 TO ****): *** 1/2


The marvelously entertaining RUNAWAY JURY reminds you how much fun going to
the movies can be. Based on a John Grisham novel, it is arguably the best
film adaptation yet of his popular books. The plot about jury tampering in
a very high profile case against gun manufacturers has little to do with gun
control vs. second amendment rights. The movie is a thriller about winning,
scheming and scamming with only a few random platitudes about moral issues.



John Cusack and Rachel Weisz play Nicholas Easter and Marlee, who
single-handedly take on and outwit two high powered legal teams who are
engaged in their own high stakes battle. One team, attempting to occupy the
high moral ground, is led by Wendell Rohr (Dustin Hoffman). Wendell is the
lead attorney for a woman taking on the gun manufacturers in a wrongful
death suit after her husband is killed in an office massacre by a mad man.
The defense is nominally led by Durwood Cable (Bruce Davison), but he is
really little more than a puppet. Behind the curtain, Rankin Fitch (Gene
Hackman) pulls all of Durwood's strings. Rankin is a legal legend, the
world's best jury consultant and tamperer. His sleek, high tech research
operation is augmented by plenty of musclemen on the ground. Completely and
proudly amoral, Rankin has never met a line he wouldn't cross. And speaking
of lines, both sides of the legal battle have multimillion dollar fees on
the line.



Into the carefully orchestrated match, refereed by Judge Harkin (Bruce
McGill), steps Nicholas, who outfoxes Rankin and forces Rankin to pick him
for the jury. In no time, Nicholas and Marlee turn the trial into a behind
the scenes bidding war. They finally fix on ten million dollars as the
figure they want as their fee to turn the jury to whichever side pays first.
Since Rankin is the man who lectured his clients that "trials are too
important to be left up to jurors," one might reasonably expect him to win
any bidding war, but he is also a brilliant and dangerous man who isn't easy
to checkmate or predict.



The well-paced film, which skillfully twists this way and that, is full of
funny moments, including what may be the funniest pledge of allegiance scene
on record. The chemistry among the principals, as well as the superb
supporting cast, sizzles. For readers of the novel, there is a nice inside
joke. The jurors complain when one of them tries to smoke, remarking on how
secondhand smoke kills. In the book, the case involves tobacco companies
rather than the gun industry. With a movie this good, they could have made
it about the toy industry and pulled it off. The film is one terrific ride,
full of curves. Its twists will leave you a bit dizzy but thoroughly
satisfied.



RUNAWAY JURY runs 2:08. The film is rated PG-13 for "violence, language and
thematic elements" and would be acceptable for kids around 10 and up.



My son Jeffrey, age 14, gave it *** 1/2, praising everything from the
casting to the pacing to the twists. He especially enjoyed the work of
Cusack and Weisz.



The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, October 17, 2003.
In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC and the Century
theaters.



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"Steve Rhodes" wrote in message
news
RUNAWAY JURY
A film review by Steve Rhodes

Copyright 2003 Steve Rhodes

RATING (0 TO ****): *** 1/2


The marvelously entertaining RUNAWAY JURY reminds you how much fun going
to
the movies can be. Based on a John Grisham novel, it is arguably the best
film adaptation yet of his popular books. The plot about jury tampering
in
a very high profile case against gun manufacturers has little to do with
gun
control vs. second amendment rights. The movie is a thriller about
winning,
scheming and scamming with only a few random platitudes about moral
issues.

Unfortunate, though, that they so corrupted the plot. I would have gone to
see it if they had been true to the original tobacco manufacturing tie-in,
but I think I'll pass on this one.

--
"There are 10 kinds of people in the world:
those who understand binary numbers and those who don't."
-----------------------------
Byron "Barn" Canfield