Runaway Jury (2003)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Gary Fleder

Writers (WGA):

John Grisham (novel)
Brian Koppelman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

17 October 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Trials are too important to be decided by juries.

Plot:

A juror on the inside and a woman on the outside manipulate a court trial involving a major gun manufacturer.

Plot Keywords:

Jury | Gun | Lawyer | Court | Court Trial

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

John Cusack	...	Nicholas Easter
Gene Hackman	...	Rankin Fitch
Dustin Hoffman	...	Wendell Rohr
Rachel Weisz	...	Marlee
Bruce Davison	...	Durwood Cable
Bruce McGill	...	Judge Harkin
Jeremy Piven	...	Lawrence Green
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

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, language and thematic elements.

Runtime:

127 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:U | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Canada:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Philippines:R-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 (certificate #40050)

Filming Locations:

Esplanade Mall - 1401 West Esplanade, Kenner, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Regency Enterprises

Trivia:

In 1997, Edward Norton was originally cast in the role of Nicholas Easter with Joel Schumacher directing. Sean Connery and Gwyneth Paltrow were cast in the roles of Fitch and Marlee, respectively. But when Schumacher dropped out of the project and it was delayed, the actors moved on to other projects. The project was revived in 2001 when Will Smith was in talks to play Nicholas Easter with Jennifer Connelly as Marlee and 'Mike Newell (I)' directing. But Smith dropped out and the project was again stalled.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Whenever a witness is testifying that the Esplanade Mall would never be robbed because a police station is right across the street, he is wrong, there is no Jefferson Parish police station very close to the Esplanade Mall.

Quotes:

Judge Harkin: I'm not sure, but I believe I'm buying lunch.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Making of 'Runaway Jury' (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Happy Birthday to You

A legal bind of creative proportion

Flat legal Thriller that has a great cast but does not have a great script to go with them. Rachel Weisz, Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman all do well with what is on the script but you can tell that they are giving it more heart and substance than what was on the written page. The direction is fine but lacks coherency and the setting of New Orleans is not fully represented to it's full potential. I have not read the original book that inspired this movie but judging by the word of mouth, the book is considered much better. I give thanks to Rachel Weisz, Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman for making this film a much better experience than the script wanted it to be but I also feel bad for then for not having a script that helps them move this picture along to a much better end.