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{{short description|2003 American legal thriller film by Gary Fleder}}
{{cleanup|September 2006}}
{{about|the film|the novel|The Runaway Jury{{!}}''The Runaway Jury''}}
{{Infobox Film
{{Infobox film
| name = Runaway Jury
| name = Runaway Jury
| image = Runaway_Jury.jpg
| image = Runaway jury.jpg
| caption = ''Runaway Jury'' DVD cover
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = Gary Fleder
| director = [[Gary Fleder]]
| producer = Steven Brown<br>Jeffrey Downer<br>Gary Fleder<br>Christopher Mankiewicz<br>[[Arnon Milchan]]
| producer = {{ubl|Gary Fleder|Christopher Mankiewicz|[[Arnon Milchan]]}}
| writer = [[John Grisham]] (novel)<br>Brian Koppleman<br>David Levien<br>[[Rick Cleveland]]<br>[[Matthew Chapman]]
| screenplay = {{ubl|[[Brian Koppelman]]|[[David Levien]]|[[Rick Cleveland]]|[[Matthew Chapman (author)|Matthew Chapman]]}}
| based_on = {{basedon|''[[The Runaway Jury]]''|[[John Grisham]]}}
| starring = [[John Cusack]]<br>[[Gene Hackman]]<br>[[Dustin Hoffman]]<br>[[Rachel Weisz]]
| starring = {{ubl|[[John Cusack]]|[[Gene Hackman]]|[[Dustin Hoffman]]|[[Rachel Weisz]]|[[Bruce Davison]]|[[Bruce McGill]]|[[Jeremy Piven]]|[[Nick Searcy]]}}
| music = [[Christopher Young]]
| music = [[Christopher Young]]
| cinematography = Robert Elswit
| cinematography = [[Robert Elswit]]
| editing = William Steinkamp<br>[[Jeff Williams]]
| editing = {{ubl|[[William Steinkamp]]|Jeff Williams}}
| distributor = [[Twentieth Century Fox]]
| studio = [[Regency Enterprises]]<br />[[New Regency]]
| released = [[October 17]], [[2003 in film|2003]]
| distributor = [[20th Century Fox]]
| runtime = 127 min.
| released = {{Film date|2003|10|17}}
| country = [[USA]]
| runtime = 127 minutes
| awards =
| country = United States
| language = [[English language|English]]
| language = English
| budget = $60 million<ref name=bom>[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=runawayjury.htm Runaway Jury] [[Box Office Mojo]]</ref>
| budget =
| gross = $80.2 million<ref name=bom />
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
| amg_id = 1:283035
| imdb_id = 0313542
}}
}}
'''''Runaway Jury''''' ([[2003 in film|2003]]) is an [[United States|American]] [[drama]]/[[thriller]] [[film]].


'''''Runaway Jury''''' is a 2003 American [[legal thriller]] film directed by [[Gary Fleder]] and starring [[John Cusack]], [[Gene Hackman]], [[Dustin Hoffman]] and [[Rachel Weisz]]. An adaptation of [[John Grisham]]'s 1996 novel ''[[The Runaway Jury]]'',<ref>[https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A06E2D6173EF934A25753C1A9659C8B63 "Runaway Jury (2003) Film Review; Courtroom Confrontation With Lots of Star Power"] ''[[The New York Times]]''</ref> the film pits lawyer Wendell Rohr (Hoffman) against shady jury consultant Rankin Fitch (Hackman), who uses unlawful means to stack the jury with people sympathetic to the defense. Meanwhile, a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game begins when juror Nicholas Easter (Cusack) and his girlfriend Marlee (Weisz) appear to be able to sway the jury to deliver any verdict they want in a trial against a gun manufacturer. The film was released October 17, 2003.
The film adaptation of ''[[The Runaway Jury]]'', which drops the "The" and is simply titled ''Runaway Jury'', makes one big departure from the book. Grisham's novel pits the [[plaintiff]], Celeste Wood, against a large, fictional tobacco company on the grounds that her husband's premature death was because of the company's cigarettes. The scriptwriters substitute a major firearms manufacturer for the tobacco company and firearms for the cigarettes because the recent film ''[[The Insider (film)|The Insider]]'' had been about tobacco companies.


== Plot ==
Other significant changes from the book include the circumstances surrounding the husband's death, an increased role for the plaintiff's attorney (and thus for [[Dustin Hoffman]]), and more angelic motives on the part of the protagonists.
<!-- Per WP:FILMPLOT, plot summaries for feature films should be between 400 to 700 words. -->
In [[New Orleans]], an ex-employee perpetrates a mass shooting at a stock brokerage firm. Eleven people are killed and several wounded. Among the dead is Jacob Wood. Two years later, with attorney Wendell Rohr, Jacob's widow Celeste sues Vicksburg Firearms for the company's [[gross negligence]] that caused her husband's death. During jury selection, jury consultant Rankin Fitch (revealed to have ties with Vicksburg) and his team communicate background information on the jury pool through electronic surveillance to defense attorney Durwood Cable, who is in the courtroom.


Potential juror Nick Easter attempts to be excused from jury duty. Judge Frederick Harkin refuses, claiming Nick is receiving a lesson in civic duty. Nick's congenial manner wins over his fellow jurors, except Frank Herrera, a [[Marine (military)|Marine]] veteran who dislikes him.
[[Roger Ebert]]'s critique of this movie stated that the plot to sell the jury to the highest-bidding party was the most ingenious device in the story because it avoided to pit the "evil" and the "good" protagonists directly against each other in a stereotypical manner, but it plunged both of them into a moral abyss. Why not buy the jury to win the case? And how can Nicholas Easter compel the jury to deliver the favoured verdict when the payment would arrive?


Someone named Marlee calls Fitch and Rohr and makes an offer to deliver the desired verdict to the first bidder. Rohr dismisses the offer, assuming it to be Fitch's tactic to obtain a mistrial. Fitch wants proof that she can deliver, which she provides by asking if he "feels patriotic" and having the [[Juror's oath]] allegiance to the flag. By observing the jurors' behavior through concealed cameras, Fitch identifies Nick as the influencer and orders his apartment searched, but finds nothing.
*'''Tagline''': ''Trials are too important to be decided by juries.''


Marlee retaliates by getting one of Fitch's jurors bounced, and Fitch blackmails three jurors. This leads Rikki Coleman, a juror who wants her abortion to remain secret, to attempt suicide. Fitch also sends his men to find a concealed storage device with key information in Nick's apartment, after which they burn it. When Nick shows the judge footage of Fitch's men breaking into his apartment, the jury is sequestered.


Rohr's key witness, a former Vicksburg employee, does not show up. After confronting Fitch, Rohr decides that he cannot win the case. He asks his firm's partners for $10&nbsp;million to pay Marlee. On principle, Rohr refuses to pay, electing to take his chances against Fitch while keeping his conscience clear. After the CEO of Vicksburg Firearms loses his temper under cross-examination and makes a bad impression on the jury, Fitch agrees to pay Marlee, to be certain of the verdict. Fitch sends an operative, Janovich, to kidnap Marlee, who fights him off and raises the price to $15&nbsp;million.
==Trivia==
* Hoffman when told that the movie producers wanted him asked for the part of Rankin Fitch however he was already told that Gene Hackman was cast for the part so he then accepted the part of Wendel Rohr HBO First Look.
* This is the first movie to feature both [[Dustin Hoffman]] and [[Gene Hackman]] (who were classmates at the [[Pasadena Playhouse]]) and this is the 10th movie starring both John Cusack and [[Jeremy Piven]].
* In the movie's various stages of development, [[Edward Norton]] was originally slated to play Nick Easter alongside [[Gwyneth Paltrow]] as Marlee and [[Sean Connery]] as Rankin Fitch. [[Philip Kaufman]] and [[Joel Schumacher]] considered directing the film.
*Other notable actresses auditioning for the role of Marlee included [[Bridget Moynahan]] and [[Amanda Peet]].
*One of the replacement jurors is a young, "alternative"-looking woman named Lydia Deetz. This is possible in homage to the character of Lydia Deetz from the movie (and tv show) [[Beetlejuice]].
*John Cusack's character uses the pseudonym "Nicholas Easter"--a reference to [[St. Nicholas]]. At one point, the character buys a St. Nicholas candle. When he finds out he has been accepted into the jury pool, the character muses to himself, "Christmas is coming early this year."
*Marlee suggests purchasing a St. Catherine candle and claims St. Catherine is the patron saint of unmarried women and juries. Indeed, [[Catherine of Alexandria|St. Catherine of Alexandria]] is the patron saint of these groups (as well as many others).
*TheGameTrader is an actual store in the Espalanade Mall right outside of [[New Orleans]].
*The voice on the radio at the very beginning is Morning show host [[Rod Ryan]]. He was at one time based in New Orleans on his own show on The End. At the time the film was released on DVD, he had moved to [[Houston]] were he still broadcasts in the morning.
*Nick and Marlee meet in a [[voodoo]] shop where the [[Creole]] shopkeeper only speaks [[French language|French]]. The movie conveys the image of the city still being mostly French-speaking, but the French-only speaking Creole population in New Orleans is practically extinct.
*The much anticipated washroom scene between Fitch and Rohr was not in the original script. It was written while the rest of the movie was being filmed, and was finally shot on a single day at the very end, weeks after both Hackman and Hoffman had finished their other work. It was the first time that Hackman and Hoffman had ever interacted on screen even though they had been friends since [[1956]]. During this argument with Dustin Hoffman in the men's room, Gene Hackman disparagingly mentions "Truth, Justice, and the American way". This is part of [[Superman]]'s slogan. Hackman played Superman's nemesis, [[Lex Luthor]], in several Superman movies.


Fitch's subordinate Doyle, who is investigating Nick, finds that Nick is actually Jeff Kerr, a law-school dropout. He travels to Gardner, Indiana, where both Jeff and his law-school girlfriend Gabby (i.e., Marlee) come from. Doyle quizzes Gabby's mother, who reveals that Gabby's sister died in a shooting years before when she was in high school. At the time, the town of Gardner sued the manufacturer of the guns used, and lost; Fitch had helped the defense win the case. Nick and Marlee's offer is a setup. Doyle calls Fitch to warn him but is too late, as the money has already been paid.
===Goofs===
*The female bailiff says she "baked these [[muffins]] myself", but she is clearly holding a tray of [[brownies]].
*[[Louisiana]] does not have counties, it has parishes (courtroom scene); although the letter Nick initially gets correctly states "Parish of Orleans".
*When Fitch's associate is searching Nick's apartment the first time, he is shown copying the contents of Nick's computer to an external hard drive. When the hard drive is examined back at their base of operations, the tech says that "it's been erased several times, but I'll see what I can recover" (or words to that effect.) This type of data recovery is only possible using the actual physical hard drive of interest, not a copy of the data from the drive.
*When Fitch is viewing a video of Nick, we see it paused with embedded timecode paused along with the video. the last two numbers (:39) indicate the frames, not seconds (you can tell this by the speed at which the numbers run and the fact the "tens" number never passes 3) when in play mode. Frame rates for NTSC (north American video) is 30 frames per second, anywhere else in the world it varies, mostly at 25 frames/sec in most of Europe, but no video is more than 30 frames/sec.
*When Marlee supposedly jots down her e-mail address for Fitch on the street car, she uses about 2 or 3 pen strokes, which is barely enough for her to write "@" much less an actual e-mail address.
*Rohr initially describes the shooter in the office rampage as a day trader, then as a [[broker]], then as a [[day trader]] again.
*When Marlee calls Fitch at home and increases her demand to $15 million, he slams the phone's receiver down. The receiver's cord can be seen not to be connected to the phone.
*When Nick is riding the [[streetcar]] home, he gets off and walks by the streetcar barn. He supposedly lives in the [[French Quarter]], but the streetcar barn shown is in [[Uptown New Orleans]], miles from the French Quarter.
*Nick is seen leaving the jury room to secure lunch for the jury from the judge. He finds the judge dining at a restauran in the [[French Quarter]]. This scene makes the federal courthouse where the trial is taking place look like it is in or near the Quarter; it is actually about a mile uptown in the [[Central Business District]].


After receiving confirmation of the payment, Nick asks the other jurors to review the facts, saying they owe it to Celeste Wood to deliberate. This triggers Herrera into a rant against the plaintiff, which undermines any support he had from the other jurors. The gun manufacturer is found liable, with the jury awarding $110&nbsp;million in [[general damages]] to Celeste Wood.
==List of characters==
* Nicholas Easter ([[John Cusack]]) - protagonist; juror and manager of an electronics store in the mall. Easter is also the man on the inside, working with girlfriend Marlee to get the verdict for the case.
* Rankin Fitch ([[Gene Hackman]]) - jury consultant for the defense; a hard nosed man who will never lose a verdict, often through ruthless tactics like blackmail and bullying.
* Wendell Rohr ([[Dustin Hoffman]]) - plaintiff's attorney and a crusader for gun control.
* Durwood Cable ([[Bruce Davison]]) - defense attorney
* Celeste Wood ([[Joanna Going]]) - widower; plaintiff
* Marlee ([[Rachel Weisz]]) - protagonist's partner working on the outside as a direct contact to both Fitch and Rohr. Like Easter, she has ulterior motives that have yet to be revealed.
* Herman Grimes (Gerry Bamman) - jury foreman
* Judge Harkin ([[Bruce McGill]]) - judge


After the trial, Nick and Marlee confront Fitch with a receipt for the $15&nbsp;million bribe, which they will make public unless he retires. Fitch asks Nick how he got the jury to vote for the plaintiff; Nick replies that he did not, explaining that he stopped Fitch from stealing the trial, merely by getting the jury to vote with their hearts. Nick and Marlee inform an indignant Fitch that the $15&nbsp;million "fee" will benefit the shooting victims in Gardner.
==External links==

{{wikiquote}}
While on his way with Celeste and her son to a celebratory meal, Rohr sees Nick and Marlee watching children play. They exchange acknowledging looks, and Rohr smiles. He leaves as Marlee and Nick decide to return home to Gardner.
*{{imdb title|id=0313542|title=Runaway Jury}}

*[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031017/REVIEWS/310170305/1023 Review by Roger Ebert]
== Cast ==
{{castlist|
* [[John Cusack]] as Nick Easter
* [[Gene Hackman]] as Rankin Fitch
* [[Dustin Hoffman]] as Wendell Rohr
* [[Rachel Weisz]] as Marlee
* [[Bruce Davison]] as Durwood Cable
* [[Bruce McGill]] as Judge Frederick Harkin
* [[Jeremy Piven]] as Lawrence Greene
* [[Nick Searcy]] as Doyle
* [[Luis Guzmán]] as Jerry Hernandez
* [[Stanley Anderson]] as Henry Jankle
* [[Marguerite Moreau]] as Amanda Monroe
* [[Leland Orser]] as Lamb
* [[Gerry Bamman]] as Herman Grimes
* [[Nestor Serrano]] as Janovich
* [[Ed Nelson]] as George Dressler
* [[Joanna Going]] as Celeste Wood
* [[Cliff Curtis]] as Frank Herrera
* [[Jennifer Beals]] as Vanessa Lembeck
* [[Bill Nunn]] as Lonnie Shaver
* [[Juanita Jennings]] as Loreen Duke
* [[Nora Dunn]] as Stella Hulic
* [[Guy Torry]] as Eddie Weese
* [[Rusty Schwimmer]] as Millie Dupree
* [[Rhoda Griffis]] as Rikki Coleman
* [[Henry Darrow]] as Sebald
* [[Corri English]] as Lydia Deets
* [[Lori Heuring]] as Maxine
* [[Dylan McDermott]] (uncredited) as Jacob Wood
}}

== Production ==
In August 1996, [[Arnon Milchan]] and distribution partner [[Warner Bros.]] paid a record $8&nbsp;million for the rights to the novel, and first-look rights to Grisham's next novel.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Screen International]]|date=August 30, 1996|page=16|title=Holding Court|last=Carver|first=Benedict}}</ref> Directors slated to helm the picture included [[Joel Schumacher]] and [[Mike Newell (director)|Mike Newell]], with the lead offered to [[Edward Norton]] and [[Will Smith]].<ref name=ew>{{cite web|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,474743,00.html|title=The Runaway Jury|publisher=Entertainment Weekly|date=2003-08-14|accessdate=2023-12-18|archivedate=2012-10-18|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018202522/https://ew.com/ew/article/0,,474743,00.html}}</ref> After the release of the 1999 film, ''[[The Insider (film)|The Insider]]'', which, as does the novel, focuses on big tobacco, the studio decided to make the plaintiff sue a gun company instead in the film adaptation.<ref name=ew />
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."

== Reception ==
=== Box office ===
The film made $11.8&nbsp;million in its opening weekend, finishing third. It went on to gross $49.4&nbsp;million in the United States, and a total of $80.2&nbsp;million worldwide.<ref name="numbers">[http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2003/RJURY.php Runaway Jury&nbsp;– Box Office Data, Movie News, Cast Information&nbsp;– The Numbers]</ref>

=== Critical response ===
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of 73%, based on 162 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The site calls the film "an implausible but entertaining legal thriller".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/runaway_jury/|title=''Runaway Jury'' |publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=16 October 2017}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], it has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, based on 38 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/runaway-jury|title=''Runaway Jury'' reviews |publisher=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=16 October 2017}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film a grade of "A−" on a scale of A+ to F.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web |url=https://m.cinemascore.com |title=Search for 'Runaway Jury' |publisher=[[CinemaScore]]}}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave the film three stars out of four, and stated that the plot to sell the jury to the highest-bidding party was the most ingenious device in the story, because it avoided pitting the "evil" and the "good" protagonists directly against each other in a stereotypical manner, but it plunged both of them into a moral abyss.<ref>[https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/runaway-jury-2003 {{"'}}Runaway Jury' review"], [[Roger Ebert]]</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0313542|title=Runaway Jury}}
* {{Metacritic film|title=Runaway Jury}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|runaway_jury}}
* {{mojo title|runawayjury}}
* {{TCMDb title|id=452876}}
* [http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2003/RJURY.php ''Runaway Jury''] at [[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]]

{{Grisham}}
{{Gary Fleder}}


[[Category:2003 films]]
[[Category:2003 films]]
[[Category:Films based on John Grisham's books]]
[[Category:2000s legal thriller films]]
[[Category:Legal films]]
[[Category:20th Century Fox films]]
[[Category:American legal thriller films]]
[[Category:American courtroom films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Christopher Young]]
[[Category:Films about lawyers]]
[[Category:Films based on works by John Grisham]]
[[Category:Films directed by Gary Fleder]]
[[Category:Films set in New Orleans]]
[[Category:Films shot in New Orleans]]
[[Category:Films about juries]]
[[Category:Murder–suicide in films]]
[[Category:Regency Enterprises films]]
[[Category:Films produced by Arnon Milchan]]
[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
[[Category:2000s American films]]
[[Category:English-language thriller films]]

Latest revision as of 10:09, 5 January 2025

This article is about the film. For the novel, see The Runaway Jury.
Runaway Jury
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGary Fleder
Screenplay by
Based onThe Runaway Jury
by John Grisham
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRobert Elswit
Edited by
Music byChristopher Young
Production
companies
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • October 17, 2003 (2003-10-17)
Running time
127 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$60 million[1]
Box office$80.2 million[1]

Runaway Jury is a 2003 American legal thriller film directed by Gary Fleder and starring John Cusack, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman and Rachel Weisz. An adaptation of John Grisham's 1996 novel The Runaway Jury,[2] the film pits lawyer Wendell Rohr (Hoffman) against shady jury consultant Rankin Fitch (Hackman), who uses unlawful means to stack the jury with people sympathetic to the defense. Meanwhile, a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game begins when juror Nicholas Easter (Cusack) and his girlfriend Marlee (Weisz) appear to be able to sway the jury to deliver any verdict they want in a trial against a gun manufacturer. The film was released October 17, 2003.

Plot

[edit]

In New Orleans, an ex-employee perpetrates a mass shooting at a stock brokerage firm. Eleven people are killed and several wounded. Among the dead is Jacob Wood. Two years later, with attorney Wendell Rohr, Jacob's widow Celeste sues Vicksburg Firearms for the company's gross negligence that caused her husband's death. During jury selection, jury consultant Rankin Fitch (revealed to have ties with Vicksburg) and his team communicate background information on the jury pool through electronic surveillance to defense attorney Durwood Cable, who is in the courtroom.

Potential juror Nick Easter attempts to be excused from jury duty. Judge Frederick Harkin refuses, claiming Nick is receiving a lesson in civic duty. Nick's congenial manner wins over his fellow jurors, except Frank Herrera, a Marine veteran who dislikes him.

Someone named Marlee calls Fitch and Rohr and makes an offer to deliver the desired verdict to the first bidder. Rohr dismisses the offer, assuming it to be Fitch's tactic to obtain a mistrial. Fitch wants proof that she can deliver, which she provides by asking if he "feels patriotic" and having the Juror's oath allegiance to the flag. By observing the jurors' behavior through concealed cameras, Fitch identifies Nick as the influencer and orders his apartment searched, but finds nothing.

Marlee retaliates by getting one of Fitch's jurors bounced, and Fitch blackmails three jurors. This leads Rikki Coleman, a juror who wants her abortion to remain secret, to attempt suicide. Fitch also sends his men to find a concealed storage device with key information in Nick's apartment, after which they burn it. When Nick shows the judge footage of Fitch's men breaking into his apartment, the jury is sequestered.

Rohr's key witness, a former Vicksburg employee, does not show up. After confronting Fitch, Rohr decides that he cannot win the case. He asks his firm's partners for $10 million to pay Marlee. On principle, Rohr refuses to pay, electing to take his chances against Fitch while keeping his conscience clear. After the CEO of Vicksburg Firearms loses his temper under cross-examination and makes a bad impression on the jury, Fitch agrees to pay Marlee, to be certain of the verdict. Fitch sends an operative, Janovich, to kidnap Marlee, who fights him off and raises the price to $15 million.

Fitch's subordinate Doyle, who is investigating Nick, finds that Nick is actually Jeff Kerr, a law-school dropout. He travels to Gardner, Indiana, where both Jeff and his law-school girlfriend Gabby (i.e., Marlee) come from. Doyle quizzes Gabby's mother, who reveals that Gabby's sister died in a shooting years before when she was in high school. At the time, the town of Gardner sued the manufacturer of the guns used, and lost; Fitch had helped the defense win the case. Nick and Marlee's offer is a setup. Doyle calls Fitch to warn him but is too late, as the money has already been paid.

After receiving confirmation of the payment, Nick asks the other jurors to review the facts, saying they owe it to Celeste Wood to deliberate. This triggers Herrera into a rant against the plaintiff, which undermines any support he had from the other jurors. The gun manufacturer is found liable, with the jury awarding $110 million in general damages to Celeste Wood.

After the trial, Nick and Marlee confront Fitch with a receipt for the $15 million bribe, which they will make public unless he retires. Fitch asks Nick how he got the jury to vote for the plaintiff; Nick replies that he did not, explaining that he stopped Fitch from stealing the trial, merely by getting the jury to vote with their hearts. Nick and Marlee inform an indignant Fitch that the $15 million "fee" will benefit the shooting victims in Gardner.

While on his way with Celeste and her son to a celebratory meal, Rohr sees Nick and Marlee watching children play. They exchange acknowledging looks, and Rohr smiles. He leaves as Marlee and Nick decide to return home to Gardner.

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

In August 1996, Arnon Milchan and distribution partner Warner Bros. paid a record $8 million for the rights to the novel, and first-look rights to Grisham's next novel.[3] Directors slated to helm the picture included Joel Schumacher and Mike Newell, with the lead offered to Edward Norton and Will Smith.[4] After the release of the 1999 film, The Insider, which, as does the novel, focuses on big tobacco, the studio decided to make the plaintiff sue a gun company instead in the film adaptation.[4] 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."

Reception

[edit]

Box office

[edit]

The film made $11.8 million in its opening weekend, finishing third. It went on to gross $49.4 million in the United States, and a total of $80.2 million worldwide.[5]

Critical response

[edit]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 73%, based on 162 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The site calls the film "an implausible but entertaining legal thriller".[6] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, based on 38 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[7] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A−" on a scale of A+ to F.[8]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three stars out of four, and stated that the plot to sell the jury to the highest-bidding party was the most ingenious device in the story, because it avoided pitting the "evil" and the "good" protagonists directly against each other in a stereotypical manner, but it plunged both of them into a moral abyss.[9]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Runaway Jury Box Office Mojo
  2. ^ "Runaway Jury (2003) Film Review; Courtroom Confrontation With Lots of Star Power" The New York Times
  3. ^ Carver, Benedict (August 30, 1996). "Holding Court". Screen International. p. 16.
  4. ^ a b "The Runaway Jury". Entertainment Weekly. 2003-08-14. Archived from the original on 2012-10-18. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  5. ^ Runaway Jury – Box Office Data, Movie News, Cast Information – The Numbers
  6. ^ "Runaway Jury". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  7. ^ "Runaway Jury reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  8. ^ "Search for 'Runaway Jury'". CinemaScore.
  9. ^ "'Runaway Jury' review", Roger Ebert
[edit]
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