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Apt mix of courtroom intrigue and con-man scheming
by Greg DeanS (movies profile)
Jan 30, 2007
29
of
40 people found this review helpful
Sometimes, not always, but sometimes, when a movie stacks its cast with so many recognizable performers, one can argue that the producers may have been trying to make up for deficits in other areas. 'Wonderland' for example, is a recent movie that feels like it sort of wastes its bountiful supporting cast (blink twice and you'll miss Janeane Garofalo entirely). So, when I see a movie like 'Runaway Jury' I always keep that in the back of my mind. Well, on that count, I have to say, I was very impressed with the way this movie juggles over 100 speaking roles and yet somehow we don't feel cheated that this or that character or actor didn't get just about the amount of screen times they deserved. Among the best supporting cast members to watch out for are Cliff Curtis (as an arrogant Gulf War vet), Nora Dunn, Jeremy Piven, Dylan McDermott (an uncredited but excellent performance as the man the case is built around), Nick Searcy (as Gene Hackman's #1 goon) and Bruce McGill as the judge in one of his best performances to date.
The movie is obviously mostly about the four leads, and in this cat-and-mouse combo of a legal thriller with con man grifting and mind games, Cusack, Hackman, Hoffman and Weisz are all at the top of their game. I sort of braced myself when the movie's big confrontation between Hackman and Hoffman finally happened (in a men's room), because this is the sort of scene where some movies have gone wrong in the past... the director is too eager to pit two big stars against each other, and sometimes the editing causes subtlety to be lost and powerful personalities to overwhelm each other. That doesn't happen here, however... Hoffman and Hackman do such a great job of establishing their characters throughout the film that by the time they truly face off, the rules of their relationship are laid, and their exchange works beautifully. Gene Hackman, in particular, is obviously having fun playing such a slimeball. John Cusack, who has to play a character who is himself "acting" (as part of his attempt to manipulate the jury), does a great job as well.
There are so many ways this movie could have gone wrong, as previous John Grisham adaptations sometimes have. Yet, it all works. This was a rare entry in both the legal thriller and con-man drama genres where I felt legitimately surprised, compelled and entertained by the entire affair. |
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