This movie was neither an exciting thriller, nor a compelling legal drama - the way the director and writers chose to frame the situation makes it the equivalent of a USA Today op-ed column. I thought black and white depictions of morality, especially in the courtroom, were a thing of the past, but "Runaway Jury" has, disappointingly, proven me wrong; the "gun industry", with Gene Hackman as its frontman, is a two-dimensional cardboard cut-out of a villain out for nothing more than money, indifferent to the harm their products may be put to. The prosecutor, Dustin Hoffman, is a valiant crusader who would never think of representing his client, a woman widowed by a day trader's killing spree, for something as shallow as money. The message is that guns are evil, and that gun manufacturers are responsible for the actions of murderers. Take the premise or not (and I can hardly believe that such a serious issue was treated so lightly), the fact that this drum was beat incessantly throughout the whole movie detracted from the artistic value inherent in the work, which otherwise represents a decent effort on the parts of some very well-known actors and actresses. The slow pace of the film nearly put me to sleep, and I don't think I would have missed very much. If I want a political diatribe, I'll tune in to the news media.
Review of Runaway Jury
