Runaway jury is a 2003 film adaptation of the john grisham novel the runaway jury, directed by gary fleder and starring john cusack, rachel weisz, gene hackman, and dustin hoffman. Plot wendall rohr and his team of tort lawyers have filed suit on behalf of plaintiff celeste wood, whose husband died of lung cancer, against the tobacco company pynex. As the trial date draws near, jury consultant rankin fitch gene hackman arrives in town. The runaway jury starts out as a great book, slows down, but ends strong. Grishams legal assault on the tobacco industry was switched to the hotbutton issue of gun control no doubt to avoid comparison to the insider in a riveting. Runaway jury synopsis favorite theater button overview. Early in the movie, fitch proves his incredible talent for reading people when he correctly guesses that his cabbies mother is ill and in the hospital. Besieged by john grishamish plot twisties, the actors in gary fleders runaway jury do their best to fashion an emotional coherence. Besieged by john grishamish plot twisties, the actors in runaway jury.
Herman would have received a summons just the same as the rest and would have been treated the same. The movie presents none of the many facts and arguments against gun control and in favor of gun ownership, and nearly all of the characters supporting the gun manufacturer in the movie are sleazy and obnoxious. The case involves a widow who is suing a gun manufacturer because her husband was killed in an office massacre involving an. In spite of its cheesy plot twists, thoroughly secondrate direction, and criminally wasted ensemble, runaway jury adds up to a nice little gotcha. The runaway jury is a legal thriller about jury corruption and manipulation of a verdict. Runaway jurys plot explodes quite literally right from its opening with a gun wielding madman turning his barrel on the offices of attorney jacob wood. An honest man, he is up against an entire system of corrupted bureaucrats. The plot isnt the most plausible, but if youre willing to excuse that and its preachy political agenda youll.
Mcgill, as the judge, treats them like an unruly grade school class. After a workplace shooting in new orleans, a trial against the gun manufacturer pits lawyer wendell rohr dustin hoffman against shady jury consultant. Runaway jury is an entertaining, never boring oldschool legal thriller. The runaway jury is a captivating thriller by john grisham. Celeste wood builds a case against a gun company who illegaly sold a gun to the man who killed her husband. This is an ingenious plot device, saving the movie from being a simple confrontation between good and evil, and adding. The real action, though, the convoluted million dollar and mostly illegal shenanigans swirling around that courtroom, is what makes this book a bonafide page. Runaway jury 2003 movie mistakes, goofs and bloopers. Runaway jury 2003 stream and watch online moviefone. When the jurors were selected to be in a landmark tobacco trial in biloxi, mississippi no one expected the jury to have some controlling and manipulation their verdict. May 31, 2018 the runaway jury is set in the courtroom of what promises to be a landmark big tobacco trial that could deal a fatal blow to the good folks who make, advertise, and sell cancer sticks.
Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. In spite of its cheesy plot twists, thoroughly secondrate direction, and criminally wasted ensemble, runaway jury adds up to a nice little. Runaway jury is a courtroom thriller with a strong political plot. If the jury finds the manufacturer liable in this case, it will open the door countless other lawsuits. With lives and millions of dollars at stake, the fixer plays a deadly catandmouse game with a jury member john cusack and a mysterious woman. They are at the center of a multimilliondollar legal hurricane 12 men and women who have been investigated, watched, manipulated, and harassed by highpriced lawyers and consultants who will stop at nothing to secure a verdict. The jury room itself looks curiously like the one in 12 angry men, reminding us of a movie where the jury really. This as the characters turn conniving or ornery or, in the. Runaway jury is a movie directed by gary fleder in 2003. In biloxi, mississippi, a landmark tobacco trial with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake beginsroutinely, then swerves mysteriously off course.
The runaway jury is a captivating thriller by john grisham who is well known for. However, the book centered around suing a tobacco company for damages caused by smoking. In the 2003 film runaway jury the plot centers around suing a manufacturer of guns for damages in the shooting. The plot is a contrived but this is a group of professional actors and they.
Runaway jury is a 2003 american legal thriller film directed by gary fleder and starring john cusack, gene hackman, dustin hoffman, and rachel weisz. Fitch should have been aware of herman grimes being a selected juror for it was revealed that everyone who received a jury summons for the case was photographed in the beginning of the movie. Oct 17, 2003 runaway jury roger ebert october 17, 2003. I saw the movie after listening to the book, but im guessing that the book would still be quite enjoyable after seeing the movie. At stake are the lives of 800 inhabitants of an old dorm that is at. This study guide consists of approximately 80 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the runaway jury. In new orleans, louisiana, celeste woods life is changed in a blinding flash when a failed day trader at her husbands stock brokerage firm shows up at his former workplace with a semiautomatic handgun and opens fire on his former colleagues, including celestes husband. Dustin hoffman and gene hackman in runaway jury 2003 rachel weisz in runaway jury 2003 john cusack in runaway jury 2003 dustin hoffman in. Runaway jury is never boring but continuously frustrating. Runaway jury is a story, which takes place in new orelans, about a conspiracy to buy the jury of a high profile wrongful death suit against a gun manufacturer. Rankin fitch is the jury consultant for the defendants and between them the battle is for the hearts and minds of the jury. The runaway jury follows the case of celeste wood, the widow of jacob wood, who has died from lung cancer after years of smoking three packs of bristols a day, versus pynex, one of the big four tobacco companies in the united states although the case has been filed four years ago, we enter the story just weeks before jury selection, when both sides are frantically trying to.
The novel was published again in 2003 to coincide with the release of runaway jury, a movie adaptation of the novel starring gene hackman. This is the tenth movie starring john cusack and jeremy piven. When the jury is being picked, a man named rankin fitch is hired to pick twelve jurors who will give a verdict in favour of the gun company. Sparkhotes synopsis below may give away important plot points. With john cusack, rachel weisz, gene hackman, dustin hoffman. Runaway jury is a propaganda movie about a trial against an evil gun manufacturer. Piven gets a part in his buddy john cusacks movie this is usually a. Based on the bestseller by john grisham, runaway jury is a slick thriller thats exciting enough to overcome the gaps in its plot.
A juror on the inside and a woman on the outside manipulate a court trial involving a major gun. Runaway jury is a reasonably entertaining film if you dont think about it too much. I thought that this was a very entertaining film, one that was gripping from start to finish, and always kept you on the edge of your seat. The plot isnt the most plausible, but if youre willing to excuse that and its preachy political agenda youll probably enjoy this film.
While im hardly a fan of political affairs, runaway jury offers a solid cast, entertaining premise, and enough twists and turns to hold the audiences attention. Although the case has been filed four years ago, we enter the. But when juror nicholas easter john cusack and his girlfriend. The runaway jury is a legal thriller novel written by american author john grisham. When a family man is murdered by an angry employee on a rampage, the widow hires wendall rohr hoffman, known for his wit and being an advocate. The third printing isbn 0440221471 bears a moviethemed cover, in place of the covers used on the first and second printings. Thrilling dramatic thriller, runaway jury is a worthwhile film to watch that boasts a great cast of talented actors and a well constructed story. In new orleans, a failed day trader at a stock brokerage firm shows up at the office and opens fire on his. John cusack, rachel weisz, gene hackman, dustin hoffman. It offers relatively tight pacing, an impressive cast, and a plot that combines courtroom drama, fights, chases, and assorted catandmouse games. Wendell rohr is a torts lawyer taking on the gun lobby.
It rivals scary movie 3 as this years movie with the most number of familiar faces. The trial is to be held in biloxi, mississippi, a state thought to have favorable tort laws and sympathetic juries. Wood is killed, and his wife celeste hires attorney wendal rohr dustin hoffman to fight the gun company who provided the assault weapon to the murderer. Runaway jury is a book we have not read, but we found the dvd or it excellent once the characters were established. Movie sutodoxi xefuqefi admiral mcraven leaves the audience speechless one of the best motivational speeches duration. In fact, it pretty much goes in the direction you think it will, with only a couple of exceptions which are needed. The jury is behaving strangely, and at least one juroris convinced hes being watched. The novel was published again in 2003 to coincide with the release of runaway jury, a movie adaptation of the novel starring gene hackman, dustin hoffman, john cusack and rachel weisz. Movies like runaway jury if you like runaway jury you are looking for captivating, tense and cynical movies about with jury, courtroom drama, lawyer, trial, courtroom, corruption and society themes of crime, drama and thriller genre shot in usa. Every jury has a leader, and the verdict belongs to him. Runaway jury plot n their first film together, screen legends gene hackman and dustin hoffman face off in this electrifying nailbiter about a ruthless jury consultant wholl do anything to win. A john grisham novel the runaway jury book summary.
It is an adaptation of john grishams 1996 novel the runaway jury. Can you match each of these bond villains with their own evil plot. This is an ingenious plot device, saving the movie from being a simple confrontation between good and evil, and adding a wild card forcing both sides to choose their own morality. The gun issue is entirely immaterial to the plot, but considering how timely and polarizing the topic is in todays political climate, its surprising and a little unsettling how trivialized it is made. My wife and i always enjoy john grisham books, and have purchased several of the movie adaptions, most of which we had previously read as books all of these have been outstanding. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of the runaway jury by john grisham. It rivals scary movie 3 as this years movie with the most number of familiar faces in minor supporting roles. The opponent is a jury consultant rankin fitch who makes sure to guarantee the result of the trial. A failed day trader in new orleans, louisiana shows up at his former workplace with a semiautomatic handgun and opens fire on the employees, killing several of them. Runaway jury is a 2003 film adaptation of the john grisham novel the runaway jury, directed by gary fleder and starring john cusack, rachel weisz, gene hackman, and dustin hoffman a failed day trader in new orleans, louisiana shows up at his former workplace with a semiautomatic handgun and opens fire on the employees, killing several of them before turning. Runaway jury doesnt throw in a lot of needless plot twists and unexpected happenings just for the sake of throwing off or fooling the viewer. After a workplace shooting in new orleans, a trial against the gun manufacturer pits lawyer wendell rohr dustin hoffman against shady jury consultant rankin fitch gene hackman, who uses illegal means to stack the jury with people sympathetic to the defense. The runaway jury explores the theme of jury corruption during a highprofile tobacco trial.
Chapter 5 begins with nicholas easter at the courthouse, early in the morning. The runaway jury follows the case of celeste wood, the widow of jacob wood, who has died from lung cancer after years of smoking three packs of bristols a day, versus pynex, one of the big four tobacco companies in the united states. Plot summary for runaway jury 2003, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing runaway jury near you. Released october 17th, 2003, runaway jury stars john cusack, gene hackman, dustin hoffman, rachel weisz the pg movie has a runtime of about 2 hr.
Everything you need to know about runaway jury movie 2003. A juror on the inside and a woman on the outside manipulate a court trial. The books original plot involved a tobacco company in atlanta, and a few twists and turns aside. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing runaway jury vip near you. Lets sum up the ups and downs of this book really quick. Soso performances by cusak and weisz and that hoffman guy also appears in the movie.
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