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By
WAYNE KLEIN
Taking sharp aim at both the
judicial process and the gun manufacturers,
"Runaway Jury" captures your attention from the
first moments of the movie. Dustin Hoffman plays
Wendell Rohr an attorney in a case representing a
woman whose husband was murdered at work by a
former employee. His lawsuit has suddenly become
the focus of the media and Rankin Fitz (Gene
Hackman) a jury consultant who has been hired by
the gun manufacturers to manipulate the selection
process of the jury in their favor. But there's a
wildcard that no one banks on: Nickolas Easter
(John Cusack) a member of the jury who will sell
his services to the highest bidder and, in the
process, also turn the jury in favor of whoever
pays him and his girlfriend Marlee (Rachel Weisz)
$10 million.
John Grisham's novel of the same name has been
turned into a tense, suspenseful courtroom drama
that has the aura of a spy thriller; we're kept on
the edge of our seat guessing both the outcome and
the motivation of Easter and Marlee. Director Gary
Fleder keeps the pace energetic, preventing the
film from falling into a predictable genre film.
The screenplay credited to Brian Koppelman, David
Levien, Rick Cleveland and Matthew Chapman is
surprisingly cohesive and sharp despite having
passed through so many hands. Hackman and
Hoffman's famous showdown in the men's room of the
courthouse is little more than icing on a very
rich cake. While their single scene together
generates considerable sparks, the film could have
done just as well without it. It reminds me of the
Michael Mann's "Heat" and the single scene that De
Niro and Pacino share together in that film. It's
really the gimmick or the hook to hang the rest of
the film on and draw in an audience.
Hackman's portrayal of Fitz as an amoral,
manipulative sleaze is a role he's played before
but that doesn't stop him from pulling out all the
stops. He brings both larger than life qualities
to Fitz but also lets us see how what he does for
a living diminishes him as well. There's a flawed
human being at the core of this amoral monster.
Hoffman as Rohr brings vitality to what could have
been a one-note performance. His Rohr flirts with
the same demons that have drawn Fitz into his own
hell. Hoffman's twinge of a southern accent takes
a bit of getting used to at first, as it recalls
the same vocal inflections Hoffman used when
playing Tootsie. It is distracting during the
first couple of scenes. I kept expecting him to
turn up in court in drag.
Cusack's Easter occupies the eye of the hurricane
and like that eye he's just as enigmatic: we never
really know what's going on inside his head. Since
this is a thriller what Cusack withholds is as
important as what he shows us about his character.
Weisz captures the hard-bitten quality of Marlee
as she pimps her boyfriend's vote. She's a
credible negotiator and a believable foil for Fitz
and his cronies. The excellent supporting cast
consists of the always interesting Bruce Davison
as the improbably named Durwood Cable, the
attorney representing the gun makers; the
versatile Bruce McGill as the hard Judge Harkin;
Jeremy Piven as jury expert Lawrence Green; and a
host of fine character actors in pivotal,
supporting roles. The casting is amazingly strong
and helps give added heft to even the least
developed characters.
The transfer looks beautiful capturing the golden
colors of fall perfectly. The handsome image looks
vivid with nicely balanced colors. Whether or not
you view the pan and scan version or widescreen,
the transfer has been meticulously handled to
capture all the warmth of Robert Elswit's
cinematography. I saw very few digital artifact
problems. The sharp and clear sound transfer does
justice to the nicely detailed score by composer
Christopher Young.
This probably won't be your cup of tea if you're a
gun advocate, as both Grisham and the production
wear their pro gun regulation sentiments on their
sleeve from the very beginning. But the political
message doesn't detract from the film's thrills or
the sharp performances. |
