Runaway Jury (2003)

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

Director:

Gary Fleder

Writers:

John Grisham (novel), Brian Koppelman (screenplay)

Stars:

John Cusack, Rachel Weisz, Gene Hackman

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Wendell Rohr is a torts lawyer taking on the gun lobby. Rankin Fitch is the jury consultant for the Defendants and between them the battle is for the hearts and minds of the jury. But there is someone on the inside. Nicholas Easter is a juror with a girlfriend, Marlee, on the outside. they have a past ..... and their own agenda.

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Plot Keywords:

voir dire | watching tv | french | french quarter new orleans | strong female lead | 

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Taglines:

Trials are too important to be decided by juries.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence, language and thematic elements

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the novel, Fitch is attracted to Marlee. This background story can be slightly noticed in the movie.

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Goofs

After the anti-gun juror goes on his tirade, Nick Easter makes a joke. In reality, a tirade like that could actually force the judge to dismiss the entire prospective pool, because the pool would then be considered tainted since they witnessed the tirade.

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Quotes

Rankin Fitch: Everybody has a secret they don't want you to find.

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Connections

References Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)

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Soundtracks

Heart of Mine
Written by Bob Dylan
Performed by The Peter Malick Group featuring Norah Jones
Courtesy of Koch Entertainment
By special arrangement with Sugaroo!

User Reviews

Interesting adaptation, quite different from Grisham's novel

This review is targeted at those who have read John Grisham's novel and might want to know how the movie compares to the book.

The largest and most controversial difference between the two is that while the trial in the book was about holding tobacco companies responsible for cigarette advertising, addiction, and lung cancer, the trial in the movie is a case of holding firearms companies responsible for encouraging guns to be sold to criminals. While the book centers around the law, as all Grisham novels do, the movie centers around gun control. Therefore, the movie can be quite political. Those who do not appreciate political statements in movies beware.

The movie spends a lot more time on Wendall Rohr and Rankin Fitch, the plantiff's lawyer and the defendant's jury consultant. While Rohr is a flat character hardly mentioned in the book, the movie characterizes him as a man who still possesses some sense of the ideal practice of law. Fitch, pitiable and even slightly likable in the book, is shown as an utterly malicious man in the movie. The members of the jury are definitely not shown much in the movie. We don't get to watch exactly how Nicholas Easter befriends each one individually, and we are told less about each jury member. The psychology that is in the book is largely absent from the movie and replaced with a few scenes of dramatic flair.

The casting of the movie was GREAT. When I heard there was a Runaway Jury movie, I immediately imagined John Cusack as Nicholas Easter. Rachel Weisz, Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman, and the actors who play members of the jury are almost as I pictured them as well! Because of this change in theme, the movie is much darker than the book. Extreme violence and arson make their way into jury manipulation. Fitch becomes a much more malevolent character. The ways in which members of the jury are bumped or released from jury duty are much darker than in the book. Little details that were altered to adapt to gun control instead of tobacco are interesting and appropriate. The movie is a different but well-done adaptation. Even if you don't enjoy the movie, it is interesting to compare it to the book.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Italian

Release Date:

17 October 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Runaway Jury

Filming Locations:

Louisiana Supreme Court, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,836,705, 19 October 2003

Gross USA:

$49,443,628

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$80,154,140

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Regency Productions, New Regency Productions, Epsilon Motion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1