“Gentlemen, trials are too important to be left up to juries.” —Rankin Fitch
Today’s quick review: Runaway Jury. During a pivotal trial between Wendall Rohr (Dustin Hoffman) and Vicksburg Firearms, the gun company hires Rankin Fitch (Gene Hackman) to sway the jury in its favor. But Fitch gets more than he bargained for when he lets con man Nicholas Easter (John Cusack) onto the jury. Together with his partner Marlee (Rachel Weisz), Easter offers to sell the jury to the highest bidder, throwing the trial into disarray.
Runaway Jury is a legal drama with thriller elements based on the novel by John Grisham. Runaway Jury has a strong dramatic cast and a tense, winding plot. The trial pits Wendall Rohr, an honest lawyer, against Rankin Fitch, a jury fixer who uses surveillance, blackmail, and intimidation to deliver the verdicts his clients want. The wildcard is Nicholas Easter, a meddler who threatens to steal the jury away from Fitch if his price isn’t met.
Runaway Jury’s main appeal is its plot. The three-way contest between Fitch, Rohr, and Easter provides ample conflict, and the film does a good job of managing its plot twists and reversals. Even the basic logistics involved in manipulating the jury are interesting to watch play out. The solid writing is backed by a quartet of talented lead actors, particularly the menacing Gene Hackman and the roguish John Cusack.
However, the film has a few drawbacks that keep its strengths from truly shining. The presentation style is busy, with lots of superfluous detail that distracts from the important events. The case itself is a disappointment, reducing a complex and politically charged topic to a two-dimensional backdrop. The moral component of the film is similarly lacking, fitting the story well enough but missing the emotional impact it might have had.
Watch Runaway Jury when you are in the mood for a legal drama with a little something extra. Its well-crafted thriller elements and solid cast make Runaway Jury worth a watch, but a weak trial and its flawed presentation style make it a harder watch than it needs to be. For another John Grisham drama with similar themes, check out The Rainmaker. For a legal drama with even more twists and turns, look for Primal Fear.
7.1 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for an interesting plot with a few missed beats.