Runaway Jury
| Runaway Jury | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Gary Fleder |
| Produced by | Gary Fleder Christopher Mankiewicz Arnon Milchan |
| Screenplay by |
Brian Koppelman David Levien Rick Cleveland Matthew Chapman |
| Based on |
The Runaway Jury by John Grisham |
| Starring |
John Cusack Gene Hackman Dustin Hoffman Rachel Weisz |
| Music by | Christopher Young |
| Cinematography | Robert Elswit |
| Edited by |
William Steinkamp Jeff Williams |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
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Release date
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Running time
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127 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $60 million |
| Box office | $80.2 million |
Runaway Jury is a 2003 American legal thriller film directed by Gary Fleder, and stars John Cusack, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, and Rachel Weisz. It is an adaptation of John Grisham's novel The Runaway Jury.
In New Orleans, a failed day trader at a stock brokerage firm shows up at the office and opens fire on his former colleagues, then kills himself. Among the dead is Jacob Wood. Two years later, with attorney Wendell Rohr, Jacob's widow Celeste takes Vicksburg Firearms to court on the grounds that the company's gross negligence led to her husband's death. During jury selection, jury consultant Rankin Fitch and his team communicate background information on each of the jurors to lead defense attorney Durwood Cable in the courtroom through electronic surveillance.
In the jury pool, Nick Easter tries to get himself excused from jury duty. Judge Frederick Harkin decides to give Nick a lesson in civic duty and Fitch tells Cable that the judge has now given them no choice, and that he must select Nick as a juror. Nick's congenial manner wins him acceptance from his fellow jurors, but Frank Herrera, a Marine veteran, takes an instant dislike to him.
A woman named Marlee makes an offer to Fitch and Rohr: she will deliver the verdict to the first bidder. Rohr dismisses the offer, assuming it to be a tactic by Fitch to obtain a mistrial. Fitch asks for proof that she can deliver, though, which Nick provides. Fitch orders Nick's apartment searched, but finds nothing. Marlee retaliates by getting one of Fitch's jurors bounced. Nick shows the judge surveillance footage of his apartment being searched, and the judge orders the jury sequestered. Fitch then goes after three jurors with blackmail, leading one, Rikki Coleman, to attempt suicide.
Rohr loses a key witness due to harassment, and after confronting Fitch, decides that he cannot win the case. He asks his firm's partners for $10 million. Fitch sends an operative, Janovich, to kidnap Marlee, but she fights him off and raises Fitch's price to $15 million. On principle, Rohr changes his mind and refuses to pay. Fitch agrees to pay Marlee to be certain of the verdict.
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