The movie, as you may well know, is an adaptation of John Grisham's 1996 novel, but instead of a trial about the tobacco industry, it is about the gun industry, both killer products whose lobbies have had tremendous sway in politics. I've read just about all of Grisham's novel, even the ones that have noting to do about lawyers, so it's fair for me to repeat that the flic is an adaptation. I've just recently chosen to watch again this 20 year old thriller, and aside from the top four main characters, Gena Hackman as Fitch, Dustin Hoffman as Rohr, John Cusack as Nick Easter and Rachel Weisz as Marlee, you'll find plenty more now famous or popular actors that rounded the cast. One just needs to browse the list of that cast and drill down to confirm my opinion.
The director, Gary Fleder, has directed another of my favourite movies, 'Kiss the Girls' (part of novelist James Patterson's Alex Cross series) and that was good enough for me to confirm my desire to see it back then. Of course any movie which at the time featured the likes of Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman was already a 'must see' movie. Add John Cusack and Rachel Weisz in the mix and you had yourself a key lead foursome. The gun industry is not lacking in funding nor is it shy about pushing its selling points, and when it comes to perverting the US second amendment, well you have yourself an ideal vile protagonist, better even than the tobacco industry; it's representative, character Henry Jankle CEO of the gun company being sued, was played by the terrific character actor Stanley Anderson. Each and every character with few scenes, like Anderson's Jankle, acquitted themselves like the pro they were and have been for many years since. Bruce McGill as Judge Harkin, a perfect fit, Dylan McDermott, Jeremy Piven, Bill Nunn, Nick Searcy, Cliff Curtis, Nestor Serano and Jennifer Beals to name a few of the recognizable actors who are all familiar faces.
The IMDb synopsis and storyline covers the essential which I need not repeat, since you have likely read those already (or should). It is captivating from the opening scenes to the closing ones. It was smart on the part of the scriptwriters to pick the gun industry as a foe rather than the novel's tobacco industry because, in my opinion, an earlier movie, 'The Insider', starring A Pacino and Russell Crowe, had already targeted tobacco, whilst the gun industry hadn't been poked yet. Today, after twenty years, the underlying premise of the legal case conveyed in 'Runaway Jury' would be more compelling, given the statistics are frightening and more worrisome than back in 2003. I sincerely hope you watch this movie if you haven't back then or since. Moreover, I'd love, and hope, to see a new version of that film's legal contest and perhaps a version that throws in the politically to the right tv media into the fray. I'm salivating at the thought.
The director, Gary Fleder, has directed another of my favourite movies, 'Kiss the Girls' (part of novelist James Patterson's Alex Cross series) and that was good enough for me to confirm my desire to see it back then. Of course any movie which at the time featured the likes of Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman was already a 'must see' movie. Add John Cusack and Rachel Weisz in the mix and you had yourself a key lead foursome. The gun industry is not lacking in funding nor is it shy about pushing its selling points, and when it comes to perverting the US second amendment, well you have yourself an ideal vile protagonist, better even than the tobacco industry; it's representative, character Henry Jankle CEO of the gun company being sued, was played by the terrific character actor Stanley Anderson. Each and every character with few scenes, like Anderson's Jankle, acquitted themselves like the pro they were and have been for many years since. Bruce McGill as Judge Harkin, a perfect fit, Dylan McDermott, Jeremy Piven, Bill Nunn, Nick Searcy, Cliff Curtis, Nestor Serano and Jennifer Beals to name a few of the recognizable actors who are all familiar faces.
The IMDb synopsis and storyline covers the essential which I need not repeat, since you have likely read those already (or should). It is captivating from the opening scenes to the closing ones. It was smart on the part of the scriptwriters to pick the gun industry as a foe rather than the novel's tobacco industry because, in my opinion, an earlier movie, 'The Insider', starring A Pacino and Russell Crowe, had already targeted tobacco, whilst the gun industry hadn't been poked yet. Today, after twenty years, the underlying premise of the legal case conveyed in 'Runaway Jury' would be more compelling, given the statistics are frightening and more worrisome than back in 2003. I sincerely hope you watch this movie if you haven't back then or since. Moreover, I'd love, and hope, to see a new version of that film's legal contest and perhaps a version that throws in the politically to the right tv media into the fray. I'm salivating at the thought.