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Runaway Jury (2003) John Cusack ................... Nicholas Easter Gene Hackman ............... Rankin Fitch Dustin Hoffman ............... Wendell Rohr Rachel Weisz .................. Marlee Leland Orser ................ Lamb Synopsis 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 tobacco industry was switched to the hot-button issue of gun control (no doubt to avoid comparison to The Insider) in a riveting exposé of jury-tampering. Gene Hackman plays the ultra-cynical, utterly unscrupulous pawn of the gun-makers, using an expert staff and advanced electronics to hand-pick a New Orleans jury that will return a favorable verdict; Dustin Hoffman (making his first screen appearance with real-life former roommate Hackman) defends the grieving widow of a gun-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 gun-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. From Amazon.com Availability Video and DVD; easy to find. The Leland Factor Middling. He has a small but key role on Rankin Fitch's surveillance team. Allison's Review Overall a good movie and worth watching even if you're not a Leland fan. He plays Lamb, who seems to be the main guy for all things concerning computers, surveillance, and security on Fitch's team; he's almost always perched in his red chair at the main bank of television screens. Fitch's assistant refers to him as "the kid from MIT". I know this will sound completely shallow, but I was absolutely in love with Leland's wardrobe in this movie--it was so geekish punk. And I thought that his attitude, especially in the scene where he's outfitting the defense team with all their electronic toys, was very much like that of his Dr. Dubenko character on ER. And I couldn't help but giggle at the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle figure and the ball of rubber bands he was always worrying. :) I love little touches like that. Verdict Fun for everyone. There are enough character actors in the movie that everyone will have to squeal at least once. (Me, several times.) /back |