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Product Description ------------------- Gary Fleder's film is based on the novel by John Grisham but with a slight change in story: instead of the industry, the filmmakers decided to use the firearms industry. Attorney, Wendell Rohr (Dustin Hoffman) is hired by the wife of a man who died in a shooting. She wants to sue the company that manufactured the because they allegedly knew the shop that sold it was not following federal regulations. The company's legal team hire Rankin Fitch (Gene Hackman), a high-priced and ruthless jury 'consultant' whose job it is to learn incriminating secrets about the jury - and if neccessary use them to secure a favourable verdict. But two members of the jury, Nick Easter (John Cusack) and Marlee (Rachel Weisz) have their own agenda and are not for bending. This was Hoffman and Hackman's first ever film together. .co.uk Review ------------- Based on the bestseller by John Grisham, Runaway Jury is a slick thriller that's exciting enough to overcome the gaps in its plot. The ultimate target has been changed: Grisham's legal assault on the industry was switched to the hot-button issue of control (no doubt to avoid comparisons with The Insider ( /exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004WCM4/${0} )) in a riveting exposé of jury-tampering. Gene Hackman plays the ultra-cynical, utterly unscrupulous pawn of the -makers, using an expert staff and advanced electronics to hand-pick a New Orleans jury that will return a favourable verdict; Dustin Hoffman (making his first screen appearance with real-life former roommate Hackman) defends the grieving widow of a -shooting victim with idealistic zeal, while maverick juror John Cusack and accomplice Rachel Weisz play both ends against the middle in a personal quest to hold -makers accountable. It's riveting stuff, even when it's obvious that Grisham and director Gary Fleder have glossed over any details that would unravel the plot's intricate design. --Jeff Shannon, .com