Runaway Jury Blu-ray delivers great video and superb audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
With lives and millions of dollars at stake, a plaintiff's lawyer and a ruthless jury consultant play a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game with a juror and a mysterious woman who offer to "deliver" the verdict to the highest bidder.
If jury duty were as interesting as it's portrayed in Runaway Jury, people wouldn't be so
eager to avoid it. Unfortunately, most cases don't have the dramatic heft of the anti-gun manufacturer
suit portrayed in the film (changed from the John Grisham novel's anti-tobacco suit after The
Insider pre-empted the subject). Most judges don't run as efficient a courtroom as Bruce McGill's
Judge Harkin, and most trial lawyers aren't nearly as entertaining (or well prepared) as the attorneys
portrayed by Dustin Hoffman and Bruce Davison. And if there really is a sleek shark of a jury
consultant like Gene Hackman's Rankin Fitch, complete with an army of hi-tech experts, then
he'd be so expensive that even the biggest corporations wouldn't pay for him unless their very
existence was at stake. In reality, the typical jury consultant is more likely to resemble the low-rent
grunt played by Jeremy Piven, who all but volunteers his services to the plaintiff, because
he's trying to build a reputation. And most cases aren't worth enough to afford even
him.
But no one ever made an entertaining thriller by sticking to reality. Besides, director Gary Fleder
has said repeatedly (and I agree) that Runaway Jury isn't a courtroom drama; it's a film about
a con. The courtroom is just the locale where the grifters work their swindle. When I first started in
law practice, I was shocked at the number of senior trial lawyers who told me never to go to court
expecting truth or justice. Eventually I came to understand their cynicism as a realistic appraisal
of the limits of any human institution, which always falls short of its ideals. Runaway Jury
simply takes that notion to its logical conclusion by making a jury verdict the McGuffin of a plot
in which everyone is after a particular result. Some pursue it by traditional means. Others take
alternate paths of a more, shall we say, "creative" nature.
A brief opening sequence depicts an attack on a New Orleans brokerage office by a crazed
former employee, who fatally guns down eleven people with an assault weapon, including Jacob
Woods (Dylan McDermott). Two years later, Jacobs' widow, Celeste (Joanna Going), is about to
go to trial in a suit against Vicksburg Firearms, the manufacturer of the gun used in the attack.
Her attorney is an experienced trial lawyer, Wendell Rohr (Hoffman).
Vicksburg's lead counsel is Durwood Cable (Davison), but the real firepower is one of the
world's leading jury consultants, Rankin Fitch (Hackman), who has traveled the country working
cases for gun manufacturers. Fitch earns top dollar, because he will do whatever it takes to ensure
that the jury selected to hear the case against Vicksburg will be inclined to render a verdict in its
favor. His methods range from the legal (demographic studies, handwriting analysis, psychology,
observation of body language) to the borderline (surveillance, background checks) to the clearly
illegal (hacking of credit card receipts, theft of confidential medical files, direct intimidation).
Fitch isn't admitted to the bar, and he never stands up in court, but he's the one running
Vicksburg's case—a fact that Wendell Rohr doesn't begin to appreciate until he's approached by
a newcomer in the field, Lawrence Green (Piven), who wants to even the odds a little (and build
his resume) by working as Rohr's jury consultant.
A wild card in the mix is Nick Easter (John Cusack), a clerk in a video game store who receives
a summons for jury duty on the Woods case and, at least on the surface, has the usual reaction,
which is "how can I get out of it?" But Nick has another agenda, and it starts to emerge after he's
selected as Juror Number Nine. At about the same time, both Fitch and Rohr begin receiving
messages and phone calls from a woman (Rachel Weisz) who identifies herself as "Marlee" and
claims that she's in a position to "sell" one of them the Woods jury for $10 million. They don't
believe her at first, but Marlee arranges impressive demonstrations of her ability to influence the
jurors' behavior. One of them involves a surprise showing of patriotic sentiment; another
involves having a juror sympathetic to the side who has defied her thrown off the panel. The
reactions of Rohr and Fitch when, at different moments, each of them realizes that the jury is
truly being controlled by an outside party are high points of the film.
That Runaway Jury isn't a courtroom drama should be obvious, because, as the trial progresses,
we keep cutting away from it to the ever more elaborate cat-and-mouse games being conducted
in the surrounding environs of New Orleans. With Fitch's well-equipped crew, much of this
looks like sophisticated espionage, but as Fitch feels matters slipping further from his control, he
quickly descends into old-fashioned thuggery, including breaking and entering, blackmail,
kidnapping, false imprisonment and arson. By the time the moment of decision arrives, and each
side has to decide whether to pay up, no one really cares about the quality of the plaintiff's
evidence.
Runaway Jury benefits from a remarkable ensemble, especially among the jurors, most of whom
have limited screen time but make the most of it to create a strong impression of lives beyond
jury duty. You can't appreciate the impact of the various manipulations unless they're being directed at
people who feel real. In addition to Jennifer Beales, former SNL regular Nora Dunn and Cliff
Curtis (Live Free or Die Hard), the jury includes reliable character actors Bill Nunn, Rhoda
Griffs (the registration lady in The Hunger Games), Luis Guzmán and Gerry Bamman as
Herman Grimes, a blind man who insists on doing jury service and can quote precedent from memory in
support of his right to do so. Bruce McGill, who was the sheriff in My Cousin Vinny and whose
extensive credits go all the way back to Animal House, plays the no-nonsense Judge Harkin.
But of course the casting that dominated Runaway Jury's marketing campaign was Hackman and
Hoffman, life-long friends and former roommates and acting classmates who had never before
appeared together in a film. An entirely new scene for Rohr and Fitch had to be written to give
these two pros screen time together, and it's a great scene. Rohr is the angry idealist, Fitch the
amoral opportunist, and they tear at each other with all they've got. The irony is that both of them
are about to be rendered irrelevant.
Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood) shot Runaway Jury,
and the 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray from Fox nicely reproduces his trademark fluid camera
movement and use of shadows to create depth. The film was made just before the era when
digital intermediates became standard practice, so that it was finished photochemically. However,
the elements used for this Blu-ray are in excellent condition, and the image harvest has been well
performed, yielding a film-like image with a natural grain field and an impressive amount of
detail, including in long shots of the crowded courtroom and the busy streets and sidewalks of
New Orleans. The color palette is on the warm and "dusty" side, which is appropriate to the
locale. The notable exception is in Fitch's "war room", where the glow of plasma TV monitors
and computer screens casts a cool and bluish tone everywhere. Black levels are good enough that
nighttime scenes, which often involve clandestine meetings, easily differentiate between various
levels of darkness and provide sufficient shadow detail. I saw no indication of inappropriate
digital tampering, such as high frequency filtering or sharpening, nor did I encounter any
compression artifacts.
(Note: User reviews complaining about a lack of "pop", contrast or sharpness have missed the mark.
Runaway Jury was not shot in the hi-def video style that has since become common and also popular with
Blu-ray fans. This transfer is both film-like and accurate.)
Fleder has said elsewhere that he believes in using sound subjectively in film, and
Runaway Jury continues this approach, e.g., when Rankin Fitch rushes out from a restaurant
into the street in pursuit of someone, and all the speakers fill with the sounds of the environment as
Fitch would experience them. Another example occurs at the very beginning during the invasion of the
brokerage office, when Jacob Woods realizes they are under attack; everything suddenly becomes
much louder, then abruptly much quieter, as Jacob's life ends. Similar striking moments occur
throughout the film, and they are reproduced with punch and presence by the DTS-HD MA 5.1
track. However, the sound mix is sufficiently subtle that it doesn't distract by calling too much
attention to itself. It blends seamlessly with the action on screen, and one can watch the entire
film without consciously realizing just how active and immersive the mix really is.
Bass extension is deep and powerful, although the LFE is sparingly used. The dialogue is
generally clear and centered, except for an occasional word that Dustin Hoffman swallows
because of Rohr's southern accent or that Rachel Weisz mangles because she was still working
on her American accent. The score by Christopher Young (Copycat) is reproduced with good
fidelity and gets the job done.
The extras have been ported over from the 2004 DVD.
Commentary by Director Gary Fleder: Fleder is an engaging speaker, and he's
especially good at invoking the sensation of working on the film before it was
complete—that is, of standing on a set with actors figuring out why a scene or a piece of
dialogue isn't working, or sitting in the editing room trying to find a way to make a
sequence more tense and engaging (or trying to decided whether it should stay in the film
at all), or observing the reaction of a preview audience and figuring out why they seem to
be losing the narrative thread at this or that point. In one notable example, Fleder points
out a quick insert of a composite photograph that includes younger versions of John
Cusack and Rachel Weisz; this occurs in the elaborate cross-cutting near the end of the
film during jury deliberations, and, according to Fleder, this one shot altered the dynamic
of the entire sequence.
Interspersed throughout the commentary are valuable insights on an array of subjects,
including casting, acting styles and the changes between novel and screenplay. Optional
subtitles are available in English, French, German, Italian, Dutch and Spanish.
Deleted Scenes (SD; 2.35:1, non-enhanced; 1:54): There are two scenes with
optional commentary by Fleder. The first is a brief additional scene of a phone call between Nick
and Marley following Nick's conversation with another juror. The second is a brief
conversation between Nick and Luis Guzmán's juror, Jerry Hernandez, speculating about
who might be "on the take".
Selected Scene Commentary (SD; 2.35:1, non-enhanced; 6:24): Dustin Hoffman
provides his thoughts on his scene with Hackman, while Hackman speaks about his final
scene in the film, where he's sitting in a bar. These aren't commentaries in the traditional
sense of the speaker watching the film and talking, so much as interviews with the
subjects, which appear in inset windows over each scene.
Exploring the Scene: Hackman & Hoffman Together (SD; 1.33:1; 14:16): Fleder,
Hoffman and Hackman discuss the development and filming of the "bathroom scene"
where Rohr and Fitch confront each other. The included rehearsal footage is both
fascinating and often very funny.
Off the Cuff: Hackman & Hoffman (SD; 1.33:1; 8:56): In a joint interview,
the two actors reflect on their history together, trading stories (and a few good-natured
barbs).
The Ensemble: Acting (SD; 1.33:1; 4:23): Cusack, Weisz and other cast members
discuss the film and their roles.
The Making of Runaway Jury (SD; 1.33:1; 12:01): A flashy, hyper-edited
EPK, intercutting footage from the film with snippets of interviews with the principal players.
Shadow & Light: Cinematography (SD; 1.33:1; 5:49): An interview with DP
Robert Elswit, combined with comments from Fleder.
A Vision of New Orleans: Production Design (SD; 1.33:1; 5:06): Production
designer Nelson Coates gives a tour of the courtroom set.
Rhythm: The Craft of Editing (SD; 1.33:1; 5:04): Editor William Steinkamp and
Fleder discuss their working methods.
Lawyers making closing arguments usually try to flatter jurors by talking about the jury's crucial
role in administering justice and the historical importance of trial by jury. But when you look at
American popular culture, the institution of the jury doesn't come off so well. For every Twelve
Angry Men, there's always a To Kill a Mockingbird, in which the jury clearly reaches the
wrong verdict. Anatomy of Murder, which is still one of the most technically accurate
portrayals of a criminal trial on film, primarily shows how the facts disappear under the spin and
manipulation of the lawyers for both sides, and in the end it's very much in doubt whether the right
result has been achieved. The Verdict is a magnificent morality play, but it's so riddled with
errors (many of them deliberate) that it begs for a sequel called The Reversal. And let's not
forget Perry Mason, who, despite being the greatest defense lawyer ever to try a fictional case, had so
little faith in juries that he never let them deliberate; instead, he always got the real murderer to
confess on the stand. (Cousin Vinny did much the same thing by getting the state to drop the
charges.)
So the cynicism about juries reflected in Grisham's novel and the screenplay adaptation for
Runaway Jury is nothing new. Grisham and the screenwriters simply expanded the number of
players trying to push the jurors' buttons and move them one way or the other—by any means
necessary. The result may not be literally true to life, but it's an apt metaphor for the cacophony
of voices vying to influence each of us in important decisions (how to vote, what to think, where
to spend our money). And it makes for an interesting battle of dramatic personalities and an
entertaining film. Highly recommended.
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