Film Reviews

Runaway Jury

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Bruce Davison
• Details: US / 127 mins / (15PG).

Long in gestation, Runaway Jury is that all too common cinematic beast - an adaptation of a John Grisham novel. And though Hollywood may not be as fond of the lawyer turned novelist as it once was, it still can't resist the lure of Grisham's pat novels, which never manage to blur the lines of morality enough to make them remotely believable. This time around, the subject for examination is gun culture (despite the fact that it was tobacco companies in the Grisham original).
After a widow sues a firearm company to prove they were responsible for her husband's murder, jury consultant Rankin Fitch (Hackman) is hired to guarantee victory for his firearm paymasters. With a massive budget and an ego to match, Fitch seems to have it sown up when he hears that there's a juror, Nick Easter (Cusack), willing to sell the verdict if the price is right. However, the unscrupulous Fitch hasn't quite reckoned on the sheer persistence and principled old skool approach of the widow's lawyer, Wendell Rohr (Hoffman).
Since it is one of those thrillers which pertains to echo a universal truth but doesn't let plausibility stand in its way, the stellar cast is pretty much left to pick up the pieces. Due to their sheer star power and ability, Runaway Jury is more blandly entertaining than it really has any right to be. Grisham has always worn his heart on his sleeve - his heroes (lawyers, invariably) display more idealism than a classroom full of philosophy undergraduates, while his villains' motivations are so shallow that it negates any lasting impact. You could do worse, and you could do better.

Review by Garreth Murphy