Fresh
[T]his film ranks just below The Firm and The Client on the list of John Grisham-inspired thrillers, thumbs up.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
Runaway Jury
Trials are too important to be decided by juries.
2003 · 2h 7m · PG-13
Drama, Thriller
Directed by
Gary Fleder
Overview
After a workplace shooting in New Orleans, a trial against the gun manufacturer pits lawyer Wendell Rohr against shady jury consultant Rankin Fitch, who uses illegal means to stack the jury with people sympathetic to the defense. But when juror Nicholas Easter and his girlfriend Marlee reveal their ability to sway the jury into delivering any verdict they want, a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game begins.
Director and cast
- Gary Fleder Director
- John Cusack as Nicholas Easter
- Gene Hackman as Rankin Fitch
- Dustin Hoffman as Wendell Rohr
- Rachel Weisz as Marlee
- Bruce McGill as Judge Harkin
- Bruce Davison as Durwood Cable
- Jeremy Piven as Lawrence Green
- Nick Searcy as Doyle
- Stanley Anderson as Henry Jankle
- Nestor Serrano as Janovich
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
73%
Tomatometer
Rotten
A lot of famous faces populate the courtroom in this overplotted and farfetched tale of jury-tampering, but they and the horse they rode in on are all so mired in illogical, head-scratching incoherence, they need lawyers of their own.
Rex Reed, New York Observer
Rotten
As in all his films, there's a sense that honest human emotion bores Fleder, but he gets points for packing the trial with fine character actors, all of them adept at wringing humor and poignancy from cliche.
Chuck Wilson, L.A. Weekly
Fresh
In spite of its cheesy plot twists, thoroughly second-rate direction, and criminally wasted ensemble, Runaway Jury adds up to a nice little gotcha! courtroom melodrama.
David Edelstein, Slate
Rotten
Fleder's direction confirms the impression left by his previous films, Don't Say a Word and Kiss the Girls among them, that he's a hack.
Charles Taylor, Salon.com
More films
A Time to Kill (1996)
Crime · Drama · Thriller · R
A young lawyer defends a black man accused of murdering two white men who raped his 10-year-old daughter, sparking a rebirth of the KKK.
- Runtime
- 2h 29m
- Director
- Joel Schumacher
- Cast
- Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson
IMDb
7.5
Rotten Tomatoes
66%
Metacritic
53
Comments
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