Runaway Jury (2003)
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A high-stakes game of manipulation unfolds as a jury consultant and a pair of con artists attempt to control the outcome of a major lawsuit.
The story
Two years after a mass shooting at a stock brokerage firm, the widow of one of the victims takes a gun manufacturer to court, alleging gross negligence. Attorney Wendell Rohr represents her, while shady jury consultant Rankin Fitch uses electronic surveillance and unlawful means to stack the jury with sympathetic individuals. Amidst this, juror Nicholas Easter and his girlfriend Marlee begin a high-stakes game, appearing to offer the desired verdict to the highest bidder. As the legal battle intensifies, the true motives of the various players become entangled in a complex web of manipulation and moral ambiguity.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In New Orleans, a mass shooting at a stock brokerage firm leaves eleven dead. Two years later, Celeste Wood sues Vicksburg Firearms for negligence. Attorney Wendell Rohr represents her, while jury consultant Rankin Fitch uses electronic surveillance to identify and influence jurors. Nick Easter, a juror, and his girlfriend Marlee offer to sell the verdict to the highest bidder. Fitch identifies Nick as the influencer and attempts to search his apartment, leading to a confrontation. Marlee retaliates by getting one of Fitch's jurors removed. Fitch blackmails other jurors, leading to a suicide attempt by one. Rohr eventually realizes he cannot win and seeks money to pay Marlee, but refuses on principle. After the CEO of Vicksburg Firearms performs poorly under cross-examination, Fitch agrees to pay Marlee. It is later revealed that Nick is actually Jeff Kerr, a law school drop-out, and that his offer was a setup. However, the money has already been paid. Nick convinces the jury to deliberate based on facts, and the manufacturer is found liable for $110 million. Afterward, Nick and Marlee confront Fitch with a receipt for the $15 million bribe, revealing they used the money to benefit the shooting victims in Gardner.
- First release year
- 2003
- Runtime (minutes)
- 127
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Gary Fleder
- Writers
- Brian Koppelman · screenplay; David Levien · screenplay; Rick Cleveland · screenplay; Matthew Chapman · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- John Cusack · Nicholas Easter; Gene Hackman · Rankin Fitch; Dustin Hoffman · Wendell Rohr; Rachel Weisz · Marlee; Bruce Davison; Bruce McGill; Jeremy Piven; Nick Searcy
- Genres
- legal thriller
- Themes
- legal corruption; moral ambiguity; manipulation
- Tone and mood
- tense; suspenseful
- Premise and plot tags
- courtroom drama; legal thriller; con artist; bribery
- Source material / true-story basis
- John Grisham's 1996 novel The Runaway Jury
- Content notes
- suicide
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics but underperformed at the box office.
- Reported review scores
- CinemaScore · score: A- · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- It is Gene Hackman's penultimate film.; The plot was changed from a tobacco company to a gun company due to the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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