Themes: Fighting the System, Miscarriage of Justice, Lawyers
Main Cast: John Cusack, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Rachel Weisz, Bruce Davison, Jeremy Piven
Release Year: 2003
Country: US
Run Time: 127 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Three people attempt to bend justice for their own purposes in this drama based on the best-selling novel by John Grisham. After a man dies in a shooting incident, his wife files a lawsuit against the company that manufactured the gun, with her lawyer, Wendell Rohr (Dustin Hoffman), arguing that the firm in question knew the shop which sold the weapon was not following federal regulations pertaining to the sale of firearms. As the case goes to trial, the firearm manufacturer is taking no chances on the outcome of a potentially devastating case, and they hire as part of their legal team Rankin Fitch (Gene Hackman), a "jury consultant" who makes it his business to see that he knows enough about the jurors to be able to guarantee the result of the trial. Fitch and his team have learned incriminating secrets about nearly everyone hearing the evidence, but Fitch discovers two factors he wasn't counting upon -- Nick Easter (John Cusack), the jury member who appears to have an agenda all his own, and Marlee (Rachel Weisz), a mysterious woman who has her own plans regarding bending the jury to her will. Bruce Davison, Jeremy Piven, and Bruce McGill round out the supporting cast. Incidentally, in John Grisham's original book, the case was filed against a cigarette manufacturer, but the producers opted to adjust the story after several real-life trials against tobacco companies. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Runaway Jury is a reasonably entertaining film if you don't think about it too much. It offers relatively tight pacing, an impressive cast, and a plot that combines courtroom drama, fights, chases, and assorted cat-and-mouse games. However, you may be disappointed if you're looking for an airtight plot that doesn't strain credulity or leave any loose ends hanging, a serious exploration of the complex issues that are raised in the story, in-depth character development, or any degree of subtlety. This is a heavy-handed potboiler that demonizes the gun industry and offers only limited opportunity for its talented supporting cast to stretch their acting muscles. You do get a chance to see Gene Hackman (in his third John Grisham film adaptation) and Dustin Hoffman in their first film together, John Cusack is a good fit for the lead role, and the story is generally engaging if you don't mind the plot contrivances. But there's a lot of wasted potential in this movie. ~ Todd Kristel, All Movie Guide
Bruce McGill - Judge Harkin; Melora Walters; Nick Searcy - Doyle; Stanley Anderson - Henry Jankle; Cliff Curtis - Frank Herrera; Nestor Serrano - Janovich; Leland Orser - Lamb; Jennifer Beals - Vanessa Lembeck; Gerry Bamman - Herman Grimes; Joanna Going - Celeste Wood; Bill Nunn - Lonnie Shaver; Juanita Jennings - Loreen Duke; Marguerite Moreau - Amanda Monroe; Nora Dunn - Stella Hulic; Guy Torry - Eddie Weese; Rusty Schwimmer - Millie Dupree; Rhoda Griffis - Rikki Coleman; Gary Grubbs - Dobbs; Dave Jensen - Shamburg; Mark Jeffrey Miller - Vaughn; Luis Guzman - Jerry Fernandez; Lori Heuring - Maxine; Carol Sutton - Lou Dell; Stuart Greer - Kincaid; Orlando Jones - Jerome; Jason Davis - Phillip Savelle; Michael Arata - Raines; Irene Ziegler - Peggy Grimes; Stephen Milton - Darren; Deacon Dawson - Hoppy Dupree; Corri English - Lydia Deets; Wayne Ferrara - Special Agent Novecki; Douglas M. Griffin - Terry Docken; Fahnlohnee R. Harris - Sylvia Deshazo
Credit
Scott Plauche - Art Director, Deborah Aquila - Casting, Lisa Mae Fincannon - Casting, Tricia Wood - Casting, Abigail Murray - Costume Designer, Michael Zimbrich - First Assistant Director, Gary Fleder - Director, Mark Vargo - Second Unit Director, William Steinkamp - Editor, Jeffrey Downer - Executive Producer, Christopher Young - Composer (Music Score), Peter Afterman - Musical Direction/Supervision, Nelson Coates - Production Designer, Robert Elswit - Cinematographer, Arnon Milchan - Producer, Christopher Mankiewicz - Producer, Gary Fleder - Producer, Adele Plauche - Set Designer, Chad S. Frey - Set Designer, Yessa Posnasky - Set Designer, Jay Meagher - Sound/Sound Designer, Wylie Stateman - Sound/Sound Designer, Matthew Chapman - Screenwriter, Rick Cleveland - Screenwriter, Brian Koppelman - Screenwriter, David Levien - Screenwriter, Mark Vargo - Additional Cinematography, Tessa Posnansky - Set Decorator, John Grisham - Book Author
In much the same way that Runaway Jury felt like it was assembled from bits of other legal thrillers, Christopher Young's score for the film sounds like a collage of music from other likeminded sources. The moody, contemporary-sounding piano, synths, prickly rhythm guitars, and vocals from "Runaway Jury" recall both Lisa Gerrard and Pieter Bourke's music for The Insider as well as the work of Thomas Newman, but the score may owe its biggest debt to Mike Post's music for Law & Order. The heavy reliance on electric pianos, muted guitars, and fretless bass on tracks like "Dumb Witness," "Voir Dire," "Habeas Corpus," and "Cheaper By the Dozen" certainly sets a mood, but it also sounds dated and overly familiar. Hints of Lalo Schifrin and Newman also color the percussive "Shark Tactics" and the more ethereal "Jury for Sale" and "Erase Her from My Heart"; at least Young only borrows from the best. A slightly cheesy feel mars the soundtrack as well, particularly on "The Divine Komeda," "Easter's Con," and "Fayeth in Fate No More," but later on in the score Young delivers some redeeming moments. "Rankin Fitch" is an unobtrusive but tense piece, and "Spilt Whiskey" and "The Devil's Not Such a Bad Guy After All" have some unique percussive touches that set them apart from some of the other, more recycled-sounding compositions. Too slick and predictable for its own good, Runaway Jury isn't a bad score, but it doesn't offer much to soundtrack fans in the way of originality. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
Robert Fernandez (Engineer), Robert Fernandez (Mixing Engineer), Simon James (Orchestra Contractor), Teresa James (Vocals), Adam Stern (Conductor), Robert Townson (Executive Producer), Christopher Young (Composer), Christopher Young (Producer), Peter Afterman (Music Supervisor), Dick Bernstein (Music Editor), Jonathan Pryce (Engineer), Jonathan Pryce (Synthesizer Programming), Michael Bauer (Assistant Music Editor), Steve Smith (Engineer), Konstantino Christides (Score Coordinator), Flavio Motallo (Producer), Samantha Barker (Assistant), Wael Binali (Score Coordinator), Max Blomgren (Synthesizer Programming), William Malpede (Synthesizer Programming), Dave Giuli (Producer), Dave Giuli (Score Coordinator), Melissa Orquiza (Score Coordinator), Jasper Randall (Score Coordinator), Vlad Solovey (Score Coordinator)
The Runaway Jury is a legal thriller novel written by American author John Grisham. The hardcover first edition was published by Doubleday Books in 1996 (ISBN 0-385-47294-3). Pearson Longman released the graded reader edition in 2001 (ISBN 0-582-43405-X). The novel was published again in 2003 to coincide with the release of Runaway Jury, a movie adaptation of the novel. The third printing (ISBN 0-440-22147-1) bears a movie-themed cover, in place of the covers used on the first and second printings. In 2003, it was made into a film starring John Cusack, Rachel Weisz, Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman.
Plot summary
Wendall Rohr and a legal team have filed suit on behalf of plaintiff Celeste Wood, whose husband died from smoking cigarettes. The trial is to be held in Biloxi, Mississippi, a state thought to have favourable tort laws and sympathetic juries. The defendant is a tobacco company, Pynex, which is part of the 'Big Four'. Durwood Cable is lead lawyer for the defense and assigns case management to Rankin Fitch, a ruthless lawyer and jury consultant who has helped to "win" cases like this.
Even before the jury have been sworn, one of them, Nicholas Easter, has begun to quietly conive behind the scenes, in concert with a mysterious woman known only as Marlee.
Fitch has placed a camera in the courtroom, feeding to his office nearby so that the trial can be observed. As the case continues, Fitch is approached by Marlee with a proposal to 'buy' the verdict. In default, she threatenes to 'bump' several jurors. He refuses to pay and several jurors are lost. Easter still quietly works on the jury. As the jury and their attitudes change, the result is no longer predictable.
Easter becomes jury foreman and convinces them to find for the plaintiff and make a large monetary award - two million dollars for compensatory damages, and four hundred million dollars for punitive measures. The defense lawyers and their employers are devastated.
A while after the trial, Marlee contacts Fitch and explains why she engineered the verdict. It emerges that her parents died of smoking-related diseases and she wanted to make sure justice was done. She has also speculated with the bribe money and caused a major fall in tobacco shares. She returns the original money.
Whilst Easter and Marlee are now rich and satisfied that they served justice, Fitch realises that his reputation is gone and that the tobacco companies, once undefeatable, are now vulnerable to lawsuits.
