Cusack assured in legal thriller
RUNAWAY JURY stars John Cusack as Nick Easter, a video store attendant with big plans.
When he gets called up for jury duty in a lawsuit against a gun manufacturer, he gets to put his plans into action.
Along with his girlfriend Marlee (Rachel Weisz), he sets about delivering the jury to the highest bidder. With stakes this high, nobody can afford to lose.
On one side of the legal battle is Wendell Rohr (Dustin Hoffman). He’s representing the wife of a stockbroker who was killed in an office shooting by a nut with an illegally purchased gun.
Rohr believes the gun manufacturers should be made to pay for the damage their products do.
On the other side, representing the gun manufacturers, is Durrwood Cable (Bruce Davison) and dodgy jury consultant Rankin Fitch (Gene Hackman).
Fitch’s job is to get to the members of the jury and rig the case and he’s prepared to do just about anything to get his way. He believes trials are far too important to be left to juries.
This sets the scene nicely for the usual mix of plot twists and turns, most of which are fairly predictable. This might have become a little irritating if it wasn’t for the performances of the main characters.
Hoffman is commanding as the small-timer battling the big corporation, while Hackman revels in the bad-guy role.
John Cusack has played this kind of role before and gives his usual assured performance. Weisz is the only one who lets the side down; try as she may, she just can’t do dramatic.
The combination of a good old-fashioned thriller and decent acting is worth renting.
Drama, 15. 4/5
