Runaway Jury

[MacGuffin]

Comes out Friday What's the verdict? On anyone's 'wanna see' list? Former roommates Hackman and Hoffman finally share the screen together.



Trailer here.

Cast: John Cusack (Nicholas "Nick" Easter), Gene Hackman (Rankin Fitch), Dustin Hoffman (Wendell Rohr), Rachel Weisz (Marlee), Jennifer Beals (Vanessa Lembeck), Cliff Curtis (Frank Herrera), Bruce Davison (Durwood Cable), Nora Dunn (Stella Hulic), Luis Guzman (Jerry Fernandez), Orlando Jones (Jerome), Dylan McDermott (uncredited), Bruce McGill (The Judge), Marguerite Moreau (Amanda Monroe), Jeremy Piven (Lawrence Green), Nick Searcy (Doyle), Nestor Serrano (Janovich), Rusty Schwimmer (Millie Dupree), Guy Torry (Eddie Weese), Melora Walters, Stanley Anderson (Henry Jankle), Michael Arata (Raines), Gerry Bamman (Herman Grimes), Jason Davis (Phillip Savelle), Deacon Dawson (Hoppy Dupree), Corri English (Lydia Deets), Wayne Ferrara (Special Agent Novecki), Joanna Going (Celeste), Stuart Greer (Kincaid), Douglas M. Griffin (Terry Docken), Rhoda Griffis (Rikki Coleman), Gary Grubbs (Dobbs), Fahnlohnee R. Harris (Sylvia Deshazo), Lori Heuring (Maxine), Juanita Jennings (Loreen Duke), David Jensen (Shamburg), Mark Jeffrey Miller (Vaughn), Stephen Milton (Darren), Bill Nunn (Lonnie Shaver), Carol Sutton (Lou Dell), Irene Ziegler (Peggy Grimes)

Screenwriter: Brian Koppelman and David Levien (writing team of Rounders, Knockaround Guys; next up is Heart of a Soldier)

Director: Gary Fleder (Don't Say a Word, Kiss the Girls, Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead)

Premise: Set in New Orleans, this is the story of a mysterious man, Nick Easter (Cusack) who gets himself on the jury of a landmark case against a gun manufacturer in an attempt to influence the other jury members to vote a certain way. Meanwhile, Easter's girlfriend, Marlee (Weisz), tries to swindle the attorneys (Hackman, Hoffman) to pay millions of dollars to have the jury return a verdict friendly to their clients. The case involves the widow of a man (McDermott) killed in an office shooting suing the gun manufacturer of the weapon that was used, under the claim that they knew the store that sold it was not obeying the laws about firearm sales. (Hoffman plays the plaintiff's lawyer; Hackman plays the cunning jury consultant to the gun company's lawyer, played by Bruce Davison; Piven plays Hoffman's jury consultant; McGill plays the judge; Searcy plays one of Hackman's assistants; jury members include Nora Dunn, Cliff Curtis, Jennifer Beals and Luis Guzman).

[Weak2ndAct]

My first instincts: Grisham adaptation = poo
But... I heard the script was really great (it languished forever, but a page one rewrite by Levien/Koppleman pushed it forward), and the cast is pretty solid.  Just watched the trailer on this best buy dvd thing and it actually looks... okay.  Might see it.

[Gold Trumpet]

This one will depend upon reviews and word of mouth for me. Hoffmann and Hackman are indeed fine, but gurantee nothing with some selection of the selections of roles to take on. I like Cusack, but part of me wants him in romantic comedies more. He's shown nothing really special in his dramas but for the lackluster comedy genre, he is pretty good most of the time. Weisz......*shrugs shoulders* I guess I'll talk Kate Winslet in the british 20 something actress department instead. I've kinda glided over every role she was in without really noticing her.

~rougerum

[Gloria]

I think the cast looks wonderful. I am excited that Rachel Weisz is getting more and more parts. I thought she was wonderful in About a Boy. Hackman is always watchable, but John Cusack can be a little hit and miss, but judging from the trailer, this part seems to fit him. This has potential to be really great. I agree that word of mouth could make this movie sink or swim.

[ShanghaiOrange]

Runaway Jury! More like Runaway Audience!  

[©brad]

i think the trailer is pretty excellent. i'm in.

[moonshiner]

john cusack is so highly regarded by so many people....recently i was racking my brain for one important, critically acclaimed movie to his credit...he's done so many weak romantic comedies that it makes the charming, off-beat romantic comedies seem disposable....this movie could've been decent if it was a more serious and realistic look at the jury selection process, that is interesting....courtroom thriller with a bunch of events that could probably never happen, nah...my rant about Cusack is out of fondness, it seems like he wastes his talent A LOT

[NEON MERCURY]

..the Joh.n Cusack factor in it.... ..

other than that  it seems like a standard thriller w/a solid cast....

[edison]

I read the book a long time ago and it was pretty good, so id like to see how faithful they are to it, as for actors, ive always liked Cusack so im there for pretty much any film of his, except for something like Serendipty.

[Banky]

I saw this movie today and i thought it was very enjoyable.  I wasnt a huge fan of the conclusion but it had strong performances all around and Hackman especially.  Jeremy Piven proves again he is great and underused.  I think it was a good adaptation and its to bad it did not find a big audience.

[MacGuffin]

Great film. Nice thriller aspect. Powerful performances all around from a mighty ensemble cast. My infatuation with Rachel Weisz is growing with each role I see her in.

[Derek]

On the dvd, there is short 5-6 minute documentary on Robert Elswit, with interviews.

[molly]

I think the cast looks wonderful. I am excited that Rachel Weisz is getting more and more parts. I thought she was wonderful in About a Boy. Hackman is always watchable, but John Cusack can be a little hit and miss, but judging from the trailer, this part seems to fit him. This has potential to be really great. I agree that word of mouth could make this movie sink or swim.

i like the cast, also, all of them. I think Weisz is great in comedies, don't know how she functions in other movies.

[MacGuffin]

Quick, molly, post something - 666!

I think Weisz is great in comedies, don't know how she functions in other movies.

All you have to do is watch her in "Shape Of Things" to see her range, although her role in that film might be a bit black-comedy, it's still played with earnestness.

[molly]

Quick, molly, post something - 666!

[.

thanks! :angel: