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 | Trial | Court

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

Also Known As:

Le maître du jeu (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Das Urteil (Germany) [de]
Das Urteil - Jeder ist käuflich (Germany) [de]
De utvalda (Sweden) [sv]
El jurado (Spain) [es]
Isepäine vandekogu (Estonia) [et]
Jüri (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Juryen (Denmark) [da]
La giuria (Italy) [it]
New Orleans Trial (Japan: English title) [en]
O Júri (Brazil) [pt]
Tribunal en fuga (Argentina) [es]
Valamiehet (Finland) [fi]

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:

This is Gene Hackman's and Dustin Hoffman's first film together. At the Pasadena Playhouse they were classmates and were both voted "Least Likely to Succeed".

Goofs:

Continuity: When Fitch grabs hold of Marlee on the trolley, the check changes from his left to right hand multiple times.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Fear of Clowns (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Big Rock Candy Mountain

Taut Thriller with Some Nice Twists

I must confess the main reason I adore this movie is because of Rachel Weisz, who is not only such a hottie in this film, but is absolutely perfect in her role as "Marlee". Oh, and John Cusack is very good as well. The plot is not straightforward and the twists keep this from degenerating into a formulaic trial movie. The tension builds steadily. Gene Hackman makes an excellent bad guy as the lawyer for the gun industry and there are several good supporting roles, especially that of Bruce Mc Gill, as the judge. The only black mark on the film is Dustin Hoffman, who is either badly miscast or else just can't act anymore. I have seen this movie at least 10 times and I enjoy it every time.