Just noticed the review formatting has returned, thank god for that
Just noticed the review formatting has returned, thank god for that
Member since:29.08.2002
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I’m sure after my succession of books reviews everyone is well aware that I’m a fan of John Grisham novels. When it was announced that the Runaway Jury was due to be released as a film I decided to make the effort and see it. It’s one of the few books by him that I haven’t read, although it is buried deep within my to-read pile. So with very little to do on a Sunday night I chose to finally watch it.
Like so many of Grisham’s books it starts with a major event to set the story. It’s early Monday morning in the offices of a high profile broker’s office and the staff are arriving for work. When an ex employee, sacked just one week before turns up and starts to kill his old co-workers. He starts to fire shots off around the office and after killing 12 people and injuring countless others he turns the gun on himself.
We then fast forward a few months. The widow of one of the victims is suing the manufacturers of the gun that killed her husband for his death. She has called in Wendell Rohr (Dustin Hoffman), an anti gun lobbyist to fight her case. The defence have brings in an expert of their own, Rankin Finch (Gene
Hackman). Finch is a Jury profiler and has been helping the gun companies with their choices of Jurors from the prospective list.
However neither side had reckoned on Nicholas Easter (John Cusack) and his girlfriend Marlee (Rachel Weisz). Nick manages to get himself onto the Jury and slowly starts to gain control over certain members of the Jury. Their plan is to get enough Jury members onside to be able to deliver a verdict to the highest bidder. That’s where Marlee comes in; she has to convince either Wendell or Rankin that she can deliver the right verdict for them, if they give Nick and her the right price.
Although I haven’t read the book, I knew fairly well what to expect from the plot. In typical Grisham fashion the story grips you. If you don’t like courtroom dramas then I’d say this film probably isn’t for you with 60% of the film based in or around the courtroom. The film really sticks to the standard Grisham template but does draw you in and keep you hooked on what’s going on.
The director, Gary Felder, has a record of making good psychological thrillers. His adaptation of another book, Kiss The Girls by James Paterson, is the one I particularly enjoyed. He uses his locations well, choosing a couple of time to pan to the Courthouse with a panoramic view over the top of New Orleans. His direction is quite fast paced, not lingering on aspects of the film for too long, keeping it constantly moving. This is something that Grisham books occasionally lack, getting bogged down in small details, instead of flowing easily. Felder and screenplay writer Brian Koppelman will have cut away a lot of these sections in order to keep the audiences interest and prevent the film from getting bogged down.
Although a lot of the locations will have been defined within the book, they do come across well. I’d say thought the story was always going to be good. Apart from the aforementioned trimming of detail I can’t imagine they needed to do too much to it. If you have read Grisham books then expect his usual style in this film.
The director’s use of his cast impressed me as well. Particularly Cusack, who I do like in nearly every film he’s been in. His role as Nicholas Easter is possibly one of his best and reminds me a lot of his performance in Con Air. He also has amazing chemistry with Rachel Weisz, which makes it easier to accept they are a couple. Despite a small amount of screen time I thought she was perfect for the part. She really comes across as being quite cunning and smart, which made her a good choice for the role.
This was also the first onscreen meeting of Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman. Both actors seem well suited to their roles, so strongly in fact I almost though the role of Rankin Finch had been written for specifically for Hackman. Both actors perform well as usual, which really added to my enjoyment of the film. There are only a couple of scenes where both appear on screen together, but the presence of both really stands out. I was a little disappointed they didn’t spend more time together but it meant there was more of an impact during the short scenes they were.
The supporting cast didn’t really stand out too much, with the 4 stars really hogging the limelight. Of course with Hackman and Hoffman as two of those stars, it’s never a bad thing.
As far as courtroom dramas go Grisham really does lead the field. His books really draw you in and luckily the transition to the big screen hasn’t lessened that appeal. This seems to have been the case with a lot of his books. The budgets on previous conversion’s weren’t anywhere near the same level but they have all been decent films in their own right. If your not a Grisham fan then I'd advise you to avoid id. however this is a much better film than I expected, so why not head on down the video shop and rent this tomorrow night.
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Based on the bestseller by John Grisham,Runaway Juryis a slick thriller that's exciting ... more
enough to overcome the gaps in its plot. The ultimate target has been changed: Grisham's legal assault on the tobacco industry was switched to the hot-button issue ...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Based on the bestseller by John Grisham,Runaway Juryis a slick thriller that's exciting ... more
enough to overcome the gaps in its plot. The ultimate target has been changed: Grisham's legal assault on the tobacco industry was switched to the hot-button issue ...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Stakes are high in an explosive trial when the widow of a gun massacre victim sues the ... more
gun's manufacturer. With millions of dollars in the balance, an unscrupulous jury consultant, (Gene Hackman), will spare no expense to ensure the chosen jury remains...
The stakes are extremely high in an explosive trial when the widow of a gun massacre ... more
victim represented by attorney Wendell Rohr (Dustin Hoffman) sues the gun's powerful manufacturer. Now with millions of dollars in the balance 12 jurors must decid...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
![Runaway Jury [DVD] [2004]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78518960.jpg "Runaway Jury [DVD] [2004]")
Jul 15th, 2004
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