Rating: 
Summary: Pro-gun control propaganda masquerading as a movie
Review: Could the pro-gun control agenda of this movie had been a little more subtle? I mean, everything from the evil gun company CEO to the portrayal of every 2nd Amendment supporter as a white trash, backwoods idiot with a mullet...I just couldn't tell what political agenda this movie was trying to advance. Even with all the cheap anti-gun emotional appeals, I still didn't catch on. I think I'll go out and do all kinds of stupid things, because after watching this movie, I no longer have any concept of personal responsibility. I can always find someone or something to blame for my own stupidity...Hollywood says I can!!Geez. Worst Grisham movie ever.
Rating: 
Summary: loved it
Review: Nicely paced. The jury selection scenes reminded me of the old Mission Impossible sequences of the 60's - rhythmic, and told the story well. The plot keeps you guessing and thinking. The ending had me applauding and relieved that the heroes turned out being good guys. As for the hypocritical Democratic anti-gun propaganda; it STUNK and it stinks BAD. In spite of that the movie was fantastic as far as plot weaving and story telling goes. Juror #9 (don't know actor's name) played his part well and had a really cool part to play. His female accomplice (don't know who she is) grew on me and the fight scene in the apartment (and the outcome of it) was a nice ride on the journey to her beautiful and engaging smile at the end of the movie.
Gene Hackman made a great villan, as always.
A mature Dustin Hoffman played a "clean" role (unlike so many of his immoral and irreverent roles in his younger days) and he came across wonderfully doing it. Loved his character. Could have done without the saint whatever-her-name-was idolatry being cool with the lead characters toward the beginning of the movie, but I guess that's Hollywood (giving off its normal stench). So I give it 4++ stars for entertainment, which is what I watched it for; and 1 minus minus minus minus minus star for its hypocritical political ground. I guess that rounds to 5.
Rating: 
Summary: Loved it
Review: Very good movie. Kept me guessing the whole time. John Cusack and Gene Hackman are amazing in this film as they are in most of their films...I might just have to add this one to my collection. It was well worth the $4 rental fee.
Rating:
Summary: Gun control propaganda
Review: This movie is perfect example of how lawyers have made the segue from tobacco to guns to fast food and who knows what's next. This BOOK was about a tobacco trial....changing it to anti-gun propoganda was quite easy for them....boy they got school shooting and a whole bunch of liberal junk in here. Don't spend the money, don't waste your time.
Rating:
Summary: The Runaway Jury - An excellent film!
Review: With this outstanding movie, moviegoers are treated to another extremely well written story from the master of legal thrillers, John Grisham. From the beginning to the end of this film it is a taut, intense thriller of a tale that has the viewer guessing the end result the whole way through and as any good thriller of this nature is, most will not see the outcome coming until the director wants you to. One of the most amazing aspects of this film is that after so many years in the business, it's the first time Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman have squared off in a film and it is done perfectly, both deserving of high praise for their performances in this film. I've never been a big fan of John Cusack and his performance in this film doesn't really change that too greatly but he does do a great job with this script. Rachel Weisz, as ever beautiful and talented gives a great performance in this film to include her American accent. Director Gary Fleder, probably best known for "Kiss the Girls" and "Don't Say A Word" does an outstanding job with this film although one can't help but think that with such an exceptional script it would almost be too difficult to not make such a wonderful legal thriller. The Premise: "The Runaway Jury" is the story of a major trial where a widow is suing a weapons manufacturing company that just happened to be the one that made the weapon that was used by a killer who went on a shooting spree in her husband's office, killing her husband and several other before turning the weapon on himself. As these trials happen occasionally and the jury's have never sided with the plaintiffs, this is a huge trial and the money involved is astronomical. In comes Gene Hackman's character that is a jury consultant for the defense and has never lost a case and he's up against a local lawyer for the plaintiff played by Dustin Hoffman. The true catalyst for the suspense of this film kicks in when Rachel Weisz's character steps into the picture, informing the key players that she can guarantee a verdict and proves that she has some pull with the jury... What follows from there is one of the most intense legal thrillers available on DVD today that is a pure joy to watch. I highly recommend this film to any and all who enjoy these types of films. {ssintrepid} Special Features: -Full-length audio commentary by Director Gary Fleder
-Scene specific commentary by Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman
-Deleted scenes with commentary
-5 additional featurettes; Acting, Making-of, Cinematography, Production Design and Editing
Rating:
Summary: Improbable but Intriguing Thriller.
Review: New Orleans is set to be the site of a monumental courtroom battle between gun manufacturers and anti-gun activists. A woman whose husband was killed when a disgruntled client went on a shooting rampage at his brokerage firm has enlisted the help of prominent New Orleans attorney Wendell Rohr (Dustin Hoffman) in suing the gun manufacturer whose "Saturday night special" killed her husband for damages. The Vicksburg Firearms Company has gotten themselves the best attorney that money can buy, and they have hired a crack jury consultant by the name of Rankin Fitch (Gene Hackman) to ensure their victory before the trial has begun. But both Fitch and Rohr discover, much to their consternation, that the jury may not be theirs to influence. Juror Nick Easter (John Cusack) and his girlfriend Marlee (Rachel Weisz) have the jury in their pocket and intend to sell it to the highest bidder. "Runaway Jury" is based on John Grisham's best-selling novel of the same name. I haven't read the novel, but I understand that Wendell Rohr's character has been altered substantially for the film in order to more clearly differentiate between the two rival parties, and a gun manufacturer has been substituted for a tobacco company. The explosive confrontation between Rohr and Fitch -the only scene that these two great actors share- did not occur in the book. "Runaway Jury" is an effective, although almost entirely implausible, thriller that sucks the audience in by giving us a taste of what goes on behind the scenes in high profile court cases. Specifically, we get to see the bizarre sub-culture of jury consultation and manipulation. The length and expense to which parties will go to stack a jury is endlessly fascinating and overcomes the story's more fantastic elements. The "war room" where Fitch and his team plot and plan is particularly interesting. The film's cast is spot-on. John Cusack is one of those actors that inspire sympathy in any role, which is helpful here since we know nothing about Nick except that he is trying to sell a jury. Dustin Hoffman is convincingly idealistic and naive as Rohr. And Gene Hackman is deliciously ruthless as Fitch. "Runaway Jury" has enough twists, turns, and thrills to keep us interested for the duration of its 2-hour-plus running time. It's a fun, unpredictable thriller with the added bonus of some insight into the art and science of jury selection. The DVD: This is a terrific disc that will more than satisfy fans and film buffs alike. These are the bonus features: 2 deleted scenes with director's commentary. 2 scenes from the film with actor commentary: Gene Hackman comments of the film's last scene, and Dustin Hoffman comments on the Washroom scene in which he appears with Hackman. "Exploring the Scene" featurette about the genesis and filming of the Washroom scene, the only scene in the film which Hoffman and Hackman share, including interviews with the two actors and director Gary Fleder. "Off the Cuff", an interview in which Hoffman and Hackman talk about their long friendship since 1956 when they were both students at The Pasadena Playhouse, sharing an apartment in New York, and some more recent anecdotes. "The Ensemble", a short featurette about the cast, including interviews with Rachel Weisz and John Cusack. A "making-of" documentary, which isn't very informative but includes, among other things, a short interview with Jo-Ellan Dimitrius, who was the jury consultant for the defense in O.J. Simpson's trial. "Shadow and Light", an interview with the film's cinematographer, Robert Elswit. "A Vision of New Orleans", in which production designer Nelson Coates shows us around the courtroom set that was created for the film. "Rhythm", an interview with the film's editor, William Steinkamp, in which we see an example of his important contribution to the film. The disc also has a full-length audio commentary by director Gary Fleder, which I didn't listen to, because I was worn out from the other extras. Much thanks to 20th Century Fox for putting together a feature-packed disc and especially to Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman for contributing so much of their time. Dubbing is available in French and Spanish. Subtitles are available in English and Spanish.
Rating: 
Summary: The acting is great but the movie simply does not work.
Review: Middle of the pack John Grisham movie that takes a turn for the worst when it tosses the original text of the novel in favor for a vindictive and not well thought out stances against guns that in no way gives a fair trail to both sides of the issue. It does not give the gun industry the benefit of the doubt and makes them look like evil men out to destroy the world, and makes the victims of gun violence into irrational people looking for money. It should have been a fair fight for both sides but with a script that does not do justice to ether side, the movie simply does not work. The acting is great with Rachel Weisz and Gene Hackman being the standouts and John Cusack gives a good performance as well. Too bad the movie is not as good or professional as the actors themselves are and it shows by the lack of a script. Hopefully The actors will do a movie again together especially Rachel Weisz and Gene Hackman who literally made this movie better than it was.
Rating:
Summary: A good suspence movie
Review: I enjoyed this movie. It had a lot of plot twist and turns. I kept wondering if the John Cusack character was a hero or a villian. It keeps the viewer guessing until the end. This is also a movie that makes you think. My friends and I got into a long discusssion about this movie. The question is "What are the possibilities of what happened in the movie to happen in real life?"
Rating: 
Summary: Good story, a bravo Hackman performance, but too PC.
Review: This movie is quite watchable and entertaining, and features a bravo performance by Gene Hackman as the amoral jury consultant/manipulator. Unfortunately, the film's anti-gun message is brought forth in an in-your-face manner that even those with anti-gun views may find irritating, let alone those who believe in the Second Amendment. The story is simple and predictable--a widow brings a lawsuit against a gun manufacturer who made the gun that killed her husband, on grounds that the manufacturer was negligent in allowing the gun to be distributed to a wrongdoer. This is a switch from the John Grisham novel in which the litigation concerned tobacco companies--I guess Hollywood has it in for guns more than cigarettes. And of course the plot is not exactly unpredictable, but I won't give it away here. The main thrust of the story is that Gene Hackman is a highly-paid jury consultant employed by the nefarious gun industry to ensure that a jury is selected and manipulated to return a defense verdict in the lawsuit. Hackman's performance carries the film. He plays the role of the tough-guy, unscrupulous jury consultant to perfection--the role is perfect for him and he takes full advantage of it. Dustin Hoffman turns in a fine performance as the plaintiff's attorney, and he sure does get the Southern accent down solid. But his character is relatively minor in the film. Hackman dominates. This is an entertaining movie that would have been better if it had stayed closer to the original Grisham novel. As it stands, the anti-gun message detracts from the otherwise entertaining plot and premise, and is a distraction regardless of what side of the gun control issue you happen to be on. The ending is a bit too much of a formulaic cliche' to suit me. Overall entertaining although flawed.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good Movie!
Review: I really enjoyed the twists and turns in the plot; it kept me guessing right up to the end. Didn't care as much for the political side, but the movie needed a matrix to tell it's story and the tobacco industry angle has been way overdone. All of the acting is phenomenal. This movie is well worth it!
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