RUNAWAY JURY

When a young widow in New Orleans brings a civil suit against the powerful corporate consortium she holds responsible for her husband’s murder, she sets in motion a multi-million dollar case. It’s a suit that may be won even before it begins, however, based solely on the selection, manipulation, and ultimately, the attempted “theft” of the jury. Representing the widow is Wendall Rohr (Dustin Hoffman), a courtly Southern lawyer with a moral center and a heartfelt passion for the case he’s presenting. His opponent is ostensibly the attorney representing the corporation. In reality, defense counsel is only the front man for Rankin Fitch (Gene Hackman), a brilliant and ruthless jury consultant. At a high-tech command center set up in an old French Quarter warehouse, Fitch and his team work on the surveillance and assessment of potential jurors. He will know everything about their lives, and strategically manipulate the jury selection process. The only acceptable result is the perfect jury to vote in favor of his client. Fitch and Rohr soon realize they’re not the only ones out to win the jury. One of the jurors, Nick Easter (John Cusack), seems to have his own plan for swaying the panel. A mysterious woman known only as Marlee (Rachel Weisz) contacts both Rohr and Fitch, telling them the jury’s for sale to either of them... and that the verdict won’t come cheap. While the case is argued in court, a dangerous cat-and-mouse game begins to play out in New Orleans’ French Quarter. Rohr’s morality is put to the test, and Fitch is poised to cross the line from selecting a jury to stealing it... no matter who gets hurt in the process.