Directed by Gary Fleder (1)
Cast: John Cusack (2), Gene Hackman (3), Dustin Hoffman (4), Rachel Weisz (5), Jeremy Piven (6), Marguerite Moreau (7), Dylan McDermott (8), Bruce McGill (9), and Cliff Curtis (10)
(Watch the trailer)
My favourite quote - "I didn't swing anybody. I just stopped you from stealing the thing. I let them vote with their hearts."
Did You Know? - This film is an adaptation of John Grisham's book The Runaway Jury. It is his 7th novel and the 9th book adapted into a film. Other films based on his books include The Firm (1993), The Pelican Brief (1993), The Client (1994), A Time To Kill (1996), The Chamber (1996), The Rainmaker (1997), The Gingerbread Man (1998), A Painted House (2001), Christmas With The Kranks (2004), and The Last Juror (2013). The Client and The Firm have also been adapted into television series. The film is about the gun industry while the book is about the tobacco industry.
I don't claim to know much or anything at all about American laws or the constitution. Jury duty is something that is very alien to me. I am a Singaporean, and in Singapore, we don't have jury trials anymore, not since it was abolished in 1969. So my feelings about the film Runaway Jury are based purely on what little I do know and what I understand of the jury system through films.
Runaway Jury is an awesome film. It's thrilling, it's got an interesting concept, the entire cast did an outstanding job, but what I love about it is that it's got a lot of heart. I know the outcome of the film because I've watched it many many times. But I still love watching the film over and over again. Why? Because it's well written.
A good film is timeless. Whether you're watching it for the first time or watching it for the nth time, a good film will keep you engaged and invested in the characters and the plot. Runaway Jury seems to be a film is about gun massacres and gun control. But it is more than that, I think it is also about jury duty, about law, and the human condition.
First, let's talk about character set ups in the opening minutes of the film.
Nick: You know what it is? Jury duty. Got the summons in the mail. Just trying to pray my way out of it.
Marlee: Where's your sense of civic duty.
Nick: Err... I flunk civics.
This sets up the premise of the film right off the bat. Nick comes across as a normal citizen whose problem is that he wants to get out of jury duty. And he uses humour to connect with people. But that is all we know about him. Which is quite apt because later we realise that there is more to him that you think. And well, Marlee is definitely all about mystery and intrigues. She is the character that makes you wonder if she's one of the key players or just a passing character, but that is what makes us watch on.
Rankin: How's your mother?
Taxi Driver: Excuse me?
Rankin: She feeling better?
Taxi Driver: How you know about my mother?
Rankin: She was in the hospital, but now you're taking care of her at home.
Taxi Driver: She had a stroke.
Rankin: Your wife wants you to put her in a home but you're feeling guilty about that. You checked out a few of them and it doesn't feel like the Christian thing to do. My advice, reconsider the home. Better an unhappy mother than an unfriendly wife.
Rankin knows how to read people. That is well established in the exchange he has with the taxi driver. His ability to put two and two together from a person's belongings really remind me of Simon Baker's Jane Patrick in the television series The Mentalist. And later in the film, we see the way he's able to read people from the way they act and talk makes me think of Tim Roth's Dr Cal Lightman from the series Lie To Me. And from his advice, we can tell he has a very practical view of the world and the relationships people have. Right off the bat, we have this feeling that he's bad news.
Wendall: I got 35 years experience in courtrooms and my instincts for picking juries have served me quite nicely so far... I want to thank you for your time.
Lawrence: Mr Rohr, I flew down here on my own dime.
Wendall: Why?
Lawrence: Because I, I... Because I believe in this case.
Wendall: Why?
Lawrence: I believe in a world without guns.
Wendall: That's very sweet but a little naive. (Lawrence walks away) 30%
Lawrence: Sorry. Excuse me?
Wendall: 30% of your usual fee. You're hired. Strictly probationary status.
Lawrence: You didn't want to check out my resume?
Wendall: Already did. It's impressive.
Now this not the very first thing Wendall says but I can't quote every single line. They're all good! And writing it all down here for you would just take the fun out of watching these fantastic actors breathe life into Runaway Jury's awesome script. So what can we tell about Wendall from the dialogue above as well as the first few minutes of the film? He's an organised mess. He comes off as messy and unpredictable, but his heart is in the right place. He goes with his gut feeling and he's not afraid to be stand up for what he believes in. He is a good mix of practicality and idealism.
Now we know our main characters, let's think about something Rankin says early in the film, "Trials are too important to be left up to juries." Rankin doesn't have a positive view of the jury system and for jurors. "You think your average juror is King Solomon? No, he's a roofer with a mortgage. He wants to go home and sit in his Barcalounger and let the cable TV wash over him. And this man doesn't give a single, solitary droplet of shit about truth, justice or your American way." Do you agree with him? Do you think that's true?
We know what Rankin thinks about juries, let's take a look at what the judge says. "The jury system was originated, Mr Easter, because for thousands of years before that, an individual judge had the power to hang, for example, anyone young man he simply did not like." Hmm, since he put it that way, I think I'm leaning towards the idea of having a jury system.
Now this conflict of ideals pretty much sums up the problem addressed in the film. Does the average American care that their vote has a direct impact on another person's life? Let's talk specifically about America because Runaway Jury is set in America. I am not living in America so I don't have an answer to that question. But if you're an American citizen, do share your thoughts with us and pardon my ignorance of your judicial system.
The concept that a jury can be bought and that one man can influence the outcome of a verdict is explored in the film. And it's a very interesting idea. A very scary thought of course, but still very compelling idea. Is the film realistic? I'm not so sure if it is. But still the idea and exploration of that idea makes an exciting film.
This is my favourite scene in the film. Although Runaway Jury is about the law and there are plenty of courtroom scenes, I think the following scene was the most exciting and powerful "courtroom" argument of the film. And this scene sums up the gist of the film very nicely.
Frank: She doesn't deserve that money.
Nick: Well maybe she does, maybe she doesn't. But she deserves a few hours of our time.
Frank: Can we vote please?
Everyone: Yes. Yeah.
Millie: Ya, I'd like to vote.
Nick: Tell me why! Tell me why!
Frank: I want to vote anyone, anybody else what to vote? Come on I want to vote.
Nick: Tell me why! Tell me why!
Frank: Well I want to vote, does anybody else want to vote?
Nick: Tell me why!
Lonnie: Let's vote.
Nick: How does it work Frank?
Lonnie: Pipe down Easter.
Nick: Tell me why!
Frank: We all got problems here don't we? All of us. But we don't get paid for it.
Nick: She suffered.
Frank: Hell I suffered. I worked my ass off 12 years of crummy jobs for shit pay, I have never asked anybody for a handout.
Nick: She's not asking for a handout.
Frank: That is bullshit and you know it.
Mrs. Brandt: She was with Jeff, it's Gabby's boyfriend. He kept telling me that my girl, she froze, she just stood there. It took seconds. Jeff just kept saying 'I couldn't reach her. I couldn't pull her down'. He always thought there was something that he could have done.
Nick: So what are we going to tell Celeste Wood?
Frank: I don't know. I don't know what we're going to tell her. It's just that I'm not going to sit around...
Nick: Life isn't fair, we write that on a postcard, is that the best we've got?
Frank: I tell you what else, that lawyer can show me all the home movies he wants, I deserve a hell of a lot more for what I've been through than that woman out there. I mean forget her.
Nick: What about the law?
Frank: F**k the law. I don't care if the gun company gave that guy an M16 with his morning donut. I'm not giving her a cent.
Jerry: That's bullshit Frank. Bullshit.
Nick: Who's with Frank? (Marlee reports a robbery to the police) Maybe some of you are afraid or intimidated. Maybe some of you are just out for yourselves. Frank is right about me. I'm the worst offender here. I made up my mind about this case before I stepped through that door. But this trial is not about me, it's not about you. Hell, we owe it to Celeste Wood to sit in this room and deliberate the facts of the case, for as long as it takes. Now if you don't mind there's some testimony I'd like to review.
We must remember that in a trial, the most important thing to do is to listen and follow your heart. Look at all the facts, then ask yourself, what does your conscience say?
