Runaway Jury

John Grisham's novel Runaway Jury is based on the simple proposition that hacking into the jury pool system is an easy matter. Nobody wants jury duty, people simply just do it because it's an obligation like paying taxes. Minimal safeguards are on that computer. In New York State the rule is now ten years. I just got called in October, promptly and exactly ten years after I'd been called previously. You can't serve, in fact if you are called any time before 10 years prior to your last service, you have the clerks look it up and if you're correct, out you go. But if I said nothing, no one would be any the wiser. So maybe what happens in Runaway Jury might have some basis in fact. Gene Hackman is more than just a jury consultant. Breaking all laws of privacy, he's on retainer from the gun manufacturer's lobby who are worried about a rash of lawsuits breaking out and somebody collecting on one. Whatever it takes to fix the jury, Hackman's up to it. But there are a couple of people, one a juror played by John Cusack, one an outsider played by Rachel Weisz who seem to have a game plan all their own. It might just surprise you to find out just what it is. All this revolves around a wrongful death suit filed by Joanna Going and her attorney Dustin Hoffman about the death of her husband, Dylan McDermott which is shown during a brief prologue. Never have the wheels of justice been so greased by so many different hands. Nice performances all around in Runaway Jury. Like another author Edna Ferber, it's impossible to make a bad film out of a John Grisham work. Grisham writes so the average lay person can understand and his characters are flawed, but flawed in a way you care about them. See what drives Cusack and Weisz and you'll know what I mean. Acting honors however go to Gene Hackman. Imagine the outlaw head in The Quick and the Dead running a jury consulting firm and you'll get the idea of what an amoral person Hackman is. It's his own hubris that takes him down though. Good drama by a good cast, you can't go wrong with Runaway Jury.

source: Runaway Jury

I couldn't believe my eyes, how excellent actors like Hoffman, Hackman and Cusack are wasted in a movie like this. The story is so shallow, simple and so naive that it hurts. The dialogue between Hackman and Hoffman (especially the scene in the toilet) is so theatrical and so far from every reality that I was actually ashamed for them. The characters are one-dimensional, clearly divided into good and evil and no character development of any kind takes place. Ugghhh, don't watch it - this is a complete waste of time and what's more - it angers you.

Runaway Jury is an excellent film about a gun manufacturer and two antigun activists that tamper with a jury to sway the decision making process. Cusak and Weis are the novices that take on Hackman and his advanced team of n'er do wells. Hackman's group uses advanced technology and mafia tactics to get juries to find for their clients. McDurmott is killed by a crook using a gun bought off the street and Hoffman tries to prove that the gun manufacturer has some responsibility in keeping the public safe by not making assault rifles. Cusak and Weis try to extort money from both sides. In the end, we discover Wies is the sister of a gun violence victim and she and Cusak were always going to swing the jury to convict the gun manufacturer. Lots of twists and turns, suspense, some action. A real nail biter in some scenes.

It helped the filmmakers that the book itself is somehow subpar in the Grisham catalogue. It's hard to believe that Gene Hackman was on the edge of retirement in that period. His performance was flawless and very relaxed, totally unforced at the same time. He even completely dominated Dustin Hoffman in their brief scene together and in my eyes that's an accomplishment. Maybe he was in the right mindset already to deliver such a perfect performance but then... as an actor you just retire very soon. I wonder why the defendants in this story were changed so drastically. Maybe it was not only an artistic choice but also a moral one. The guns problem still doesn't seem to be resolved in the United States. In this case we are dealing here with a quite underrated Hollywood movie with an important message, ladies and gentlemen.

"Runaway Jury" sadly springs directly from the Michael Bay school of film- making. Not one shot last longer than 5 seconds, a HUGE mistake in a film starring some of the best actors working: Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman, John Cusack, etc. The film is so slickly edited, it would appear that neither the director or the editor believes in the shots. The actors have almost nothing to do as a result as the director cuts from one angle to the next haphazardly, making it impossible to care or get involved in the story. The cast of jurors is thrown away, there is no clear thruline, and the one scene in which Hackman and Hoffman appear together comes too late and after too much nausea-inducing cutting to have impact of any kind. I'd love to see someone else take a crack at an edit of this one, and make it an actual story instead of a 2-hour preview.

Runaway jury is an exceptional film with many great qualities. Firstly, it is very well told and exciting at every turn. Secondly, it has first-rate actors that really absorb you in the subject matter which is very sentimental(gun control). Dustin Hoffman and especially Gene Hackman deliver believable performances that carry the film from beginning to end. Based on the John Grisham novel of the same name this film is just as engrossing as the many other films Grisham has brought to the screen. The end has a very thrilling twist that makes your blood curl with emotion. John Cusack is also very good here. To me he is a very underrated actor that has not been given his due yet. It is a shame. ***1/2 stars

This movie is one of my very favorite movies. The acting is excellent and the plot twists keep you guessing until the end! Furthermore, the subject matter is extremely important. With the US leading the world in gun deaths(my own parents were murdered with a gun wielded by someone who should have never been legally allowed to own a gun), I applaud this movie as socially relevant to our times. So much so that it literally is a movie that makes me want to stand up and cheer even after several viewings! Deep and heartfelt thanks to all who worked on this film. Hollywood does occasionally come out with some important films and this is one of them.

With an original story and some big actors Runaway Jury was one of those movies you like but not. It was interesting to see what goes on behind these court cases. whether they're true or not i wouldn't know, but it was engrossing and well acted. Most of the movie takes place in a court room but still in that small set they manage to make many scenes unexpected. This non cliché movie does have some interesting twists in it and they pull some smart 'morgan Freeman' moves, keeping you engaged in the movie. It might not be something you'll watch over again but it should definitely be something you watch once.