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Review by Dustin Putman
2½ stars out of 4
The courtroom potboiler, a story-and-suspense-driven genre virtually
created for the novels by John Grisham and their cinematic adaptations,
gains a new entry in "Runaway Jury." Competently directed by Gary
Fleder, the film is far from perfect and follows a few too many of
the conventions of court dramas, but holds enough crafty twists and
narrative intrigue to remain a solid entertainment. It doesn't hurt
that the four lead actorsJohn Cusack (2003's "Identity"), Gene Hackman
(2001's "Behind Enemy Lines"), Dustin Hoffman (2002's "Moonlight Mile"),
and Rachel Weisz (2003's "The Shape of Things"), respectivelycreate
one of the most mesmerizing ensembles of the year.
Two years after the fatal office shooting of a husband/father (Dylan
McDermott), a major civil trial is about to get under way in New Orleans
against the major gun manufacturer whose product the murdere r used.
Representing the victim's widow (Joanna Going) is do-gooder attorney
Wendell Rohr (Dustin Hoffman), while defending the gun company is
the crooked Durwood Cable (Bruce Davison). In choosing the trial's
jury members, the gun manufacturer has enlisted the services of the
slippery, powerful Rankin Fitch (Gene Hackman), who misjudges the
intentions of seemingly disinterested juror Nick Easter (John Cusack).
Aided on the outside by his girlfriend, Marlee (Rachel Weisz), Nick
plots to gain his fellow jurors' trust and wave the trial's verdict
in either direction based on which sidethe morally conflicted Rohr's
or the crooked, slimy Fitch'scoughs up his $10-million demand the fastest.
If 1994's "The Client" and 1996's "A Time To Kill" are the best of
the John Grisham adaptations and 1993's "The Pelican Brief" and 1996's
"The Chamber" are among the worst, then "Runaway Jury" falls squarely
in the middle alongside 1999's "The Rainmaker." The film captures
your atten tion right away with an unnervingly effective prologue
before embroiling you in a highly charged central plot that leaves
you guessing exactly what the intentions of some of the characters
are. Additionally, the idea of Nick and Marlee using their intelligence
and savvy know-how to manipulate the trial participants is a novel
one. While some of the story developments are predictable (such as
the actual verdict of the trial), there are also a fair share of worthwhile surprises.
The centerpiece of "Runaway Jury" fittingly arrives midway through
in a marvelously acted scene between Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman
where its pulp intensity ratchets to a startlingly high level. Hoffman's
Wendell Rohr has just discovered the shady dealings of Hackman's despicable
Rankin Fitch, and he confronts him in the courthouse bathroom, warning
him that the unethical things he does for a living will eventually
catch up to him. This is not the best scene of the film because of
the first-ever appearance together of Hoffman and Hackman, but because
it is the most focused, the most beautifully written and acted, and
flawless in the characters' interplay.
As protagonists Nick and Marlee, John Cusack and Rachel Weisz are
seriously talented performers who make you want to root for them.
In this picture's case, however, the lines between who these people
are and where their true motives stand is never fully unveiled until
the third act. While this mystery adds complexity to the narrative
and grows crystal clear by the end, the viewer tends to sometimes
get confused in the meantime over why, exactly, they should be liking
Nick and Marlee. In such tricky roles, Cusack and Weisz are superb.
If "Runaway Jury" works quite well as a thriller, a mystery, and a
political statement on the value of laws and ethics, it is problematic
when it comes to the handling of the courtroom scenes and, most jarring
of all, its jurors. While what surrounds the trial sequences is where
the heart of this film lies, courtroom movies requires at least a
few scenes of memorable witnesses and sharp observation. "Runaway
Jury" does not succeed on this count. The court scenes are generally
rushed and disposable. The film's largest misstep, however, is its
threadbare development of Nick's fellow jurors, vital characters because
their decision plays a role in the entire plot's outcome, but who
are treated as inconsequential at best. As the jurors, talented character
actors such as Nora Dunn (2003's "Out of Time"), Luis Guzman (2003's
"Anger Management"), Bill Nunn (2002's "Spider-Man"), Rusty Schwimmer
(2000's "The Perfect Storm"), and Jennifer Beals (2002's "Roger Dodger")
are wasted beyond explanation.
And yet "Runaway Jury" works. As a smart, adult-minded entertainment
that explores a serious subject in the seeming form of page-turning
beach read, the film is disposably electric and solidly crafted. Even
when the story specifics and the supporting characters aren't always
at the top of their game, the four sterling lead actors are. For the
power-hungry ferocity of Gene Hackman's Rankin Fitch and the virtuous,
quietly imploding force of Dustin Hoffman's Wendell Rohr alone, "Runaway
Jury" is worth seeing.
Copyright © 2003 Dustin Putman
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