Runaway Jury (2003)

Directed by: Gary Fleder | 127 minutes | drama, thriller | Actors: John Cusack, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Rachel Weisz, Bruce Davison, Bruce McGill, Jeremy Piven, Nick Searcy, Stanley Anderson, Cliff Curtis, Nestor Serrano, Leland Orser, Jennifer Beals, Gerry Bamman, Joanna Going, Bill Nunn, Luis Guzman, Dylan McDermott

It remains a typical nation, those Americans. Where else in the world can obese people sue fast food chains for never warning them that eating hamburgers three times a day could be bad for your health? The tobacco industry has also been taken to court several times, while it is really the people themselves who make the choice to light a cigarette or cigar. The words ‘I’ll sue you’ are said very quickly in the United States. Writer John Grisham, who specializes in court thrillers, made good use of this apparently irrepressible urge to sue the Americans and wrote several bestsellers, many of which have since been made into films. In ‘The Pelican Brief’ environmental polluters were tackled, in ‘The Rainmaker’ rogue insurance companies and in ‘Runaway Jury’ a desperate widow takes an important pawn in the arms industry to justice.

Two years after James Woods (Dylan McDermott) and ten others are shot dead by a frustrated ex-colleague, his widow Celeste (Joanna Going) files a lawsuit against the manufacturer of the murder weapon. She considers the company complicit because any crazy person can buy such a shooting iron. She is assisted in this by the idealistic lawyer Wendell Rohr (Dustin Hoffman), who hopes to make a statement against the firearms policy in the US. Wanting to win the case at all costs, the opposing party enlists the ruthless and manipulative ‘jury consultant’ Rankin Fitch (Gene Hackman), who uses the latest information technologies very precisely to put together a jury that will judge in favor of the arms dealer. . However, he failed to consider Nicholas Easter (John Cusack), a juror with his own hidden agenda. In exchange for a good chunk of money, he and his bold girlfriend Marlee (Rachel Weisz) offer both parties the decision to turn in their favor. Both Rohr and Fitch are put on the spot. Will justice ultimately prevail?

Not every film adaptation of a Grisham book is equally successful. ‘A Time to Kill’ (1996) and ‘The Firm’ (1993) were successful, but ‘The Pelican Brief’ (1993) was already a lot less and ‘The Rainmaker’ (1997) can be called downright boring. With ‘Runaway Jury’ director Gary Fleder (‘Don’t Say a Word’, ‘Kiss the Girls’) hoped to continue the line of the successful films. Thanks to the all-star cast, he manages to do that quite well. Without actually pointing the finger, Runaway Jury exposes the corruption within the American justice system and does so in a thrilling manner from start to finish. It might have all been a bit more intelligent, but with these bite-sized chunks Fleder at least stays close to Grisham’s style and that his many fans will certainly appreciate. Just like the book, in which the tobacco industry was not charged, by the way, the film is not always credible. However, Fleder skilfully bluffs his way through it. The tension, Fleder’s dynamic way of filming and the impressive cast make up for a lot.

Although they have been friends for decades, Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman never starred in a movie together. Gary Fleder finally managed to get them together for ‘Runaway Jury’. Hoffman unfortunately makes a somewhat uninspired impression as the brave Wendell Rohr, in contrast to Hackman who indulges himself as the sneaky Fitch. Hackman’s role also offers many more opportunities to impress than Hoffman’s. For example, he is given a few smooth one-liners, with which he can steal the show. The ever-lovable John Cusack (‘High Fidelity’) is colorless as Easter, but Rachel Weisz (‘The Constant Gardener’) splashes from the canvas; quite an achievement when you consider that she has many scenes with acting legends like Hoffman and Hackman. Unfortunately, the talents of supporting actors Jeremy Piven, Luis Guzmán, Bruce Davison and Bill Nunn are not fully utilized. Each and every one of them are actors who fascinate, which makes it a pity that they are so little in the picture. There had been more residents.

‘Runaway Jury’ is a great movie to rent from the video store. An evening full of excitement is guaranteed. It’s just a shame that director Gary Fleder didn’t get the most out of it. It is above all a suspense thriller and not so much an indictment of the American justice system. If you want to see a better film on this subject, you should check out Sidney Lumet’s superior ’12 Angry Men’ (1957). But compared to other film adaptations of Grisham novels, ‘Runaway Jury’ is fortunately another step in the right direction. The production is well put together, the actors – especially Hackman and Weisz – do a great job and the film is captivating from start to finish. And as a viewer you don’t really need more than that, do you?