Runaway Jury (2003)

Tagline: Trials are too important to be decided by juries.

Cusack Plays: Juror Number 9, Nicholas Easter

Remember a time pre JK Rowling, Stephanie Meyer and Dan Brown? John Grisham was the big name in books and a bunch of his legal tales made their way onto the big screen, to varying success. In 2003 Runaway Jury was released and was deemed to be one of the better ones. Although the subject matter was shifted from a lawsuit against a tobacco company to a gun manufacturer, the general legal arguments and story remain in place.

The central premise of this film is that the jury in the case (wife sues gun makers for husbands death at hands of deranged gunman) has been infiltrated and will sell the verdict to either side for a hefty price. Both sides (especially the defence) are already spending huge amounts on consultants to analyse, select (and sometimes do other definitely illegal things to) the jury. Cusack is what initially seems to be a reluctant juror, but we quickly discover that's not the case. Jeremy Piven (him again) plays a consultant for the plaintiff.

Another rewatch where I could remember the basic plot and outcome but not all the details, this is a pretty decent thriller, bolstered by some solid performances from fine actors. Had totally forgotten the opposing sides in the case were Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman, both great, and the first time in their long careers that the two H-Man's were on screen together.