Trial by Jury (1994)

Director:

Heywood Gould

Writers (WGA):

Jordan Katz (written by) and
Heywood Gould (written by)

Release Date:

9 September 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

For one juror, the question of guilt or innocence is a matter of life or death... her own.

Plot:

Valerie is a juror in the trail of a mob boss. When her young son's life is threatened, she has no option other than to see that justice isn't done.

Plot Keywords:

Mob Boss | Inmate | Organized Crime | Rape | Home Invasion

Cast

Joanne Whalley	...	Valerie Alston (as Joanne Whalley-Kilmer)
Armand Assante	...	Rusty Pirone
Gabriel Byrne	...	Daniel Graham
William Hurt	...	Tommy Vesey
Kathleen Quinlan	...	Wanda
Margaret Whitton	...	Jane Lyle, Juror
Ed Lauter	...	John Boyle
Richard Portnow	...	Leo Greco
Lisa Arrindell Anderson	...	Eleanor Lyons
Jack Gwaltney	...	Teddy Parnell
Graham Jarvis	...	Mr. Duffy, Foreman
William R. Moses	...	Paul Baker, Juror
Joe Santos	...	Johnny Verona
Beau Starr	...	Phillie
Bryan Shilowich	...	Robbie, Valerie's Son

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (some sequences) | Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Morgan Creek Productions

Quotes:

Rusty Pirone: I'm the guy who falls into a sewer and comes out with his pants pressed.

Soundtrack:

Everybody Love Somebody

Could Have Been a Great Film-Noir

In New York, Valerie Alston (Joanne Whalley-Kilmer) is a single woman, who has a small son and is the owner of a store of clothes. She is convoked to participate of the jury of the trial of the mobster Rusty Pirone (Armand Assante), who will be judged for several murders. In the eve, the key witness of the prosecutor Daniel Graham (Gabriel Byrne) was executed with the four police officers that were protecting him by Pirone's men. Meanwhile, the ex-cop Tommy Vesey (William Hurt), who also works for Pirone, threatens Valerie, menacing to kill her son if she does not claim that Pirone is not guilty. "Trial by Jury" is not a bad movie, but it could have been a great film-noir. The first three-quarters of the story are indeed excellent. But there are two weaknesses in this film: the first one is the performance of Joanne Whalley-Kilmer. The character of Valerie lives a terrible dramatic dilemma and a very conflictive situation between her consciousness and the request of the mobster, and demanded a more expressive actress. Unfortunately, Joanne Whalley-Kilmer keeps the same expression in the most different situations along the story. The second weak point is the conclusion of the story, which is too much "Hollywoodian" to be credible. Anyway, this film is a good entertainment. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Tribunal Sob Suspeita" ("Tribunal Under Suspicion")