Runaway Jury
Directed by Gary Fleder
- drama
- thriller
The story
After a workplace shooting in New Orleans, a trial against the gun manufacturer pits lawyer Wendell Rohr against shady jury consultant Rankin Fitch, who uses illegal means to stack the jury with people sympathetic to the defense. But when juror Nicholas Easter and his girlfriend Marlee reveal their ability to sway the jury into delivering any verdict they want, a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game begins.
What it’s like
Cool, slightly desaturated courtroom interiors in Runaway Jury, with wood paneling, fluorescent overheads and rain-streaked New Orleans windows that keep the city grey and humid. Gary Fleder favours tight two-shots, slow pans across rows of jurors and watchful close-ups, so the tension lives in glances and whispered exchanges rather than action. The score is restrained, mostly low strings and sparse piano under courtroom murmur, with the occasional sharp sting when a plan tightens. Its vibe is tense, sly and grown-up, a slow-burn chess match with a damp, noir-tinged undertow. The pace is measured but steadily tightening, and the emotional register is cool and wary, with the central figures on opposite sides of a long game of trust and deception. The arcs follow a sceptical lawyer and a suspicious juror each slowly reading the other's intentions. Violence is limited to the offscreen workplace shooting that opens the story, with no gore, though the stakes carry real menace and some threats. It suits a rainy weekend or a late evening alone for viewers who want a smart, adult thriller with strong performances from Cusack, Hackman and Hoffman, and little interest in spectacle.
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