Runaway Jury

While there are enough holes in the legal minutia of this fast-paced thriller adapted from a John Grisham bestseller to keep anyone with a law degree laughing from beginning to end, the pretzel plot and sharp performances make this reasonable popcorn fare. A sensationalized peek into jury tampering during a big-money wrongful-death suit filed against an assault-weapon manufacturer after a workplace shooting, Runaway Jury wears its anti-gun politics on its sleeve (Gene Hackman is deliciously unscrupulous as the defendants' jury consultant, while Dustin Hoffman is perfectly principled as the plaintiff's down-home attorney). But wildcard John Cusack, as a juror with enigmatic designs on manipulating the verdict, gives the film all the riveting tension it needs to push through the growing implausibility and hot-button moralizing. Director Gary Fleder (Don't Say a Word) overproduces some scenes for fear of disinterest (jury selection isn't sexy), underutilizes a great supporting cast, and does a clumsy dance around the larger question of Cusack's motives. Still, Runaway Jury is entertainingly guilty of being a bracing thriller. A strong optional purchase. [Note: Available in widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras include audio commentary by director Gary Fleder, scene-specific onscreen commentaries by costars Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman, two deleted scenes with optional commentary by Fleder, and the featurettes “Exploring the Scene: Hackman and Hoffman Together” and “Off the Cuff: Hackman and Hoffman,” as well as additional featurettes on acting (“The Ensemble”), cinematography (“Shadow & Light”), production design (“A Vision of New Orleans”), editing (“Rhythm: The Craft of Editing,”), and a “making of.” Bottom line: a nice extras package for a fun, if flawed, thriller.] (R. Blackwelder)