Walk away from “Jury”

There are certain films that are enjoyable because of the actors more than the story…. There are certain films that are enjoyable because of the actors more than the story. ‘Runaway Jury’ is one such film — a predictable work that has its moments, but serves best as a showcase for the talents of John Cusack, Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Based on the book by John Grisham, ‘Runaway Jury’ focuses on the world of jury consults — people brought in by attorneys on both sides of the case to pick juries that will deliver a favorable verdict.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Rankin Fitch (Hackman) is the best of the best, securing verdict after verdict for many a shady defendant. He’s retained by a large gun company that is being sued by a woman whose husband was killed at his workplace by a nut with a semi-automatic weapon. He’s just the man for this gun company — unsympathetic, smarmy and willing to do whatever it takes to secure the verdict his client wants.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The consultant on the prosecution side isn’t much of a factor — Lawrence Green (Jeremy Piven) is a wide-eyed junior partner-type who wants to get the gun companies. The important face on the prosecution is the prosecutor, Wendell Rohr (Hoffman), a kindly, moralistic Louisianan that only wants to get justice for the victim and who’s being crushed under the circumstances of the case and the weight of his own morality.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Thrown into the mix is Nick Easter (Cusack), a slacker who doesn’t want jury duty — or does he? He and girlfriend, Marlee, (Rachel Weisz) have the infamous cinematic ulterior motive and, once Easter gets on the jury, begins his process of manipulation within the jury ranks and Marlee starts playing both sides for a big payday.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ This isn’t much of a plot twist — any astute viewer will see Easter and Marlee coming a mile away. Because of that, a lot of the wind is taken out of the sails of the first half of the film. The second half of the film isn’t much better. It becomes a ‘Will Easter and Marlee get out of this alive?’ type of plot. But because Easter is John Cusack, it’s almost a given that everything will work out in the end.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The feeling of watching ‘The Insider’ again does not help things, especially because this time it’s from the angle of those in the courtroom. Except without the engaging drama. Or the tense pace. Or the gritty realism.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ But the set-up does lend itself to a few choice moments that make ‘Runaway Jury’ worthwhile.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The best of these comes in a scene between Hoffman and Hackman in the courthouse bathroom. Hackman looms large in the scene, thanks to his towering stature compared to Hoffman and the way director Gary Fleder frames them in the bathroom mirror: Hackman large and imposing, Hoffman small and feeble looking. They go back and forth on a moral battle about juries and the system, Hoffman fighting a losing battle against a morally bankrupt and nefarious Hackman.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ It’s a scene that, like the scene between Hackman and Cusack, makes the film much better than it would have been otherwise, allowing these actors to do what they do best. But the Hackman-Hoffman scene in particular is more than noteworthy — it’s the first between two of the best American actors of the past 30 years. And, unlike the scene between Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in ‘Heat,’ it doesn’t disappoint.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about ‘Runaway Jury.’ It’s a typical Grisham adaptation that never becomes more than a filmed book — mostly because many times his books are set-ups for a future adaptation.