'Runaway Jury' -- Using Straw Men for Target Practice

MOVIEGUIDE(R) ^ | October 17, 2003 | Dr. Tom Snyder

[Simi Valley Tom]

RUNAWAY JURY is a left-wing propaganda movie that is absolutely shameless in the way it makes all the characters opposed to its radical message look as bad as possible. Ironically, the game that this movie about jury tampering plays is as phony and rigged as the jury in the story.

John Cusack stars in the movie as a young man who infiltrates a jury in New Orleans during a trial against a gun manufacturer. Dustin Hoffman plays the lawyer suing the manufacturer for being culpable when a disturbed man uses one of the manufacturer’s guns to slaughter a bunch of people in an office. Gene Hackman plays the evil jury consultant working for the gun manufacturer. Rachel Wiesz plays Cusack’s cohort, who offers the jury to both sides, for $15 million.

Ultimately, RUNAWAY JURY is nothing more than a leftist diatribe against gun ownership. The movie presents none of the many facts and arguments against gun control and in favor of gun ownership. Also, nearly all of the characters supporting the gun manufacturer in the movie are sleazy, obnoxious and stupid. RUNAWAY JURY is an abhorrent movie that deserves our righteous condemnation. Apparently, the leftist elitists in Hollywood can’t make a political movie without setting up a bunch of straw men. This will only hurt them in the long run, because it weakens their filmmaking skills and alienates them from the average moviegoer in America’s heartland.

The cast makes a good effort at selling this sludge, but their characters are stereotypes with little substance behind them. The movie uses these stereotypes to argue that violent criminals are the result of a corrupt social system. This Rousseauian Romantic worldview is supported by clear statements and scenes designed to appeal to the emotions of moviegoers, rather than engage their brains.

Unhappily, there are many people who will fall for such superficial cinematic techniques. This is exactly what happened in Germany when Adolph Hitler and his National Socialist demagogues used movies like TRIUMPH OF THE WILL to convince the German people that murdering Jews, handicapped people, sickly senior citizens, and unborn children was a good idea. The pro-abortion, pro-gun control leftists in Hollywood are the rightful heirs of these socialist monsters.

Please address your comments to:

Peter Chernin, Chairman and CEO The Fox Group Tom Rothman and Jim Gianopulos, Chairmen Fox Filmed Entertainment 20th Century Fox Film Corp. A division of Fox, Inc. and News Corp. 10201 West Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90035 Phone: (310) 369-1000 Website: www.fox.com

[Simi Valley Tom]

For more information about current movies and about the entertainment industry, go to www.movieguide.org, or call 1-800-577-6684.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

I've decided not to go to the movie. But then, on average I go to a movie theater about twice a decade . . .

[shhrubbery!]

I watched "On the Waterfront" again last night.

Now THAT was a good movie.

[xzins]

I thought the book was about a cigarette award jury??????

[toddst]

I thought the book was about a cigarette award jury??????

I believe you are right. However, these people decided dealing with tobacco wasn't going to be exciting enough (cigarettes have been demonized enough) so they chose guns - far more emotional and sexy.

[jonalvy44]

good post...We invite you to join us at http://www.PABAAH.com as we combat anti-American Hollywood.

Seens the reviews for Tom Cruise's "The Last Samuraii"? Looks like more pc crap, "Dances with wolves" meets "Johnny Taliban"

[happydogx2]

Yes, Gresham's book was about a tobacco lawsuit.

A major impact/part of the book is the scheme dealing w/money/stocks/off-shore accounts.

Don't know how that is presented in the movie...and I'm not going to find out.