RUNAWAY JURY

 

"Trials are too important to be decided by juries"

Rankin Fitch

After an office massacre, which led to the deaths of eleven financial workers two years earlier, lawyer Wendell Rohr (Hoffman) is leading a case again the gun company that manufactured the weapon used in the monstrous act. The company of course doesn't want to lose the case so they have hired Rankin Fitch (Hackman), the best in the business, as their jury consultant. Believing he can control the verdict if he chooses the right jury, Fitch is brimming with confidence until he receives a phone call from a woman calling herself Marlee (Wiesz) who says she can swing the verdict either way for a price.

John Grisham books about the US legal profession usually transfer well to film and 'Runaway Jury' is no exception.

This isn't your usual Grisham piece however because the court and the lawyers don't take centre stage, this time it is the jury and the people who want to manipulate them. This makes for extremely interesting viewing as you find out what goes into a big money, high profile trial and the lengths that people will go to get their desired verdict. While some of the plot is, hopefully, highly unlikely to take place, especially if the lawyers or judge knew about it, this is intriguing stuff that will have you glued to the screen.

As with all Grisham adaptations the cast is first rate and this is filled with big hitters. John Cusack is on a role. The man just can't turn in a bad performance and this movie is no exception. As the manipulative Nicholas Easter, you never know his true motivations until the final big reveal which is testament to his superb acting ability. His partner in deception, the beautiful and talented Rachel Weisz as Marlee also keeps her loyalties and motivations close to her chest, as you never know what their true incentives are until the final reel.

It's hard to believe that veterans Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman have never shared the screen before but the old guard show the young whippersnappers how it is done with two electrifying performances. When the two face off the screen almost pulsates with the pure energy of their combined presence. Hackman, no stranger to Grisham adaptations having already starred in The Firm and The Chamber, eases into the role of the chief jury manipulator effortlessly, like he was putting on an old favourite suit. Hoffman, as the idealistic, small time lawyer with a big fish to fry slips into his role with ease, giving another riveting performance. While these might not be the most challenging roles for the two legends of the art, the two bring a class that can't be matched and increase the credibility of the piece tenfold.

The support is also good. The always dependable Bruce Davison and Bruce McGill give believable performances as defence lawyer Durwood Cable and Judge Harkin. While he may only have a limited role, Cliff Curtis comes into his own in the deliberation scenes and in his confrontations with Cusack. Jeremy Piven also proves he is more than just a comedic actor.

Runaway Jury might be abit far-fetched in parts and a bit preachy about gun control but the twists and turns of the never predictable story will keep you very entertained. For once this is a courtroom drama where the only predictable thing, the verdict, is a minor point with the motivations of the behind the scenes wranglings being the main plot driver. The Hoffman/Hackman confrontation is worth seeing this movie for alone, but with other outstanding performances, this is another John Grisham adaptation that grabs you from the off and doesn't let go until the final big reveal.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen with a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack, this is an excellent transfer, as you'd except from a modern film. The picture quality is sharp throughout which is needed for a film that relies a great deal on shadow and mood lighting. Even when the scene is very dark, the picture is first rate. The same can be said about the sound. Strong emphasis is put upon the dialogue, as you'd expect but the surround sound comes alive during the fight and chase sequences.

BONUS FEATURES

Commentary by director Gary Fleder
A self-confessed film geek, Gary Fleder provides and interesting and very knowledgeable commentary track for the movie. He discusses the structuring of scenes and the shooting styles he used throughout the picture. He also talks about the influences he called upon in making the film, stating which movies he'd borrowed from. He goes into detail about each of the characters and the actors playing them and unlike many directors, he points out the flaws in the movie. This is a very technically driven and informative commentary that gives a great insight into the filmmaking business.

Deleted Scenes with optional commentary by Director Gary Fleder (1.42 mins)
Two removed scenes entitled "Nick calls Marlee from the Motel" and "Someone's on the take". Director Gary Fleder explains why these two scenes where deleted from the final cut.

Selected Scenes (6.03 mins)
Stars Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman take you through two pivotal scenes in the movie. Splitting the screen in two with one half showing an interview with the actor and the other the actual scene, Hoffman talks about the Washroom confrontation between Fitch and Rohr and Hackman talks about the bar scene between Fitch, Marlee and Nick.

Exploring the scene: Hackman & Hoffman together (14.15 mins)
Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman and director Gary Fleder take you behind the scenes of the Washroom confrontation. The pair talk about working together for the first time and the featurette shows you their rehearsal footage and outtakes from the actual shoot. The two of them reveal that even though they have been in the business for so long, they still get nervous and think they'll never work again.

Off the Cuff: Hackman & Hoffman (8.32 mins)
Legends of the silver screen Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman talk about their relationship both off and on the screen. The featurette reveals how the two actors met in 1956 and how they lived together in New York. They also discuss their different acting methods and how they each go about crafting a character.

The Ensemble (4.21 mins)
Stars John Cusack, Rachel Weisz, Luis Guzman and Jennifer Beals talk about making Runaway Jury. Cusack and Weisz reveal how much of a privilege it was to work with Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman. They also discuss the point that it was like shooting three movies at once, the Jury movie, the Fitch movie and the courtroom movie.

The Making of Runaway Jury (12.00 mins)
The cast and director talk about bringing John Grisham's novel to the silver screen. Each of them outline the plot and real-life jury consultant Jo-Ellan Dimitrius, who worked on the O.J. Simpson case, reveals how authentic the film actually is.

Shadow & Light: Cinematography (5.45 mins)
Director Gary Fleder and Editor William Steinkamp talk about cinematographer Robert Elswit. Elswit himself discusses how he likes to work with actors and how he enjoyed working with shadows and darkness throughout the film.

A Vision of New Orleans: Production Design (5.02 mins)
Production Designer Nelson Coates takes you behind the scenes of the New Orleans Court set. He reveals how the court is an amalgamation of different courtrooms within the state of Louisiana and how some other famous courtroom dramas have influenced the design.

Rhythm: The Craft of Editing (5.03 mins)
Editor William Steinkamp and director Gary Fleder talk about editing Runaway Jury. They reveal how they changed the Marlee fight scene in the editing suite and how they both decided to make the movie from Rankin Fitch's point of view, especially during the finale.

OVERALL

Fox have done it again with another exceptional DVD release. An excellent commentary and informative featurettes compliment an outstanding transfer. It would have been good if the disc featured an insight into the writer John Grisham but the inclusion of featurettes about Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman do make up for this oversight. Runaway Jury is a first rate law based thriller that has been given excellent DVD treatment, making this a great buy and an exceptional rental.

DVD

A Time to Kill

The Chamber

The Client

The Firm

The Pelican Brief

The Rainmaker

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2004