Trial by Jury (1994)

That was an excellent one.

Powerful

hyped garbage

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

"Trial by Jury" has one of those deeply interesting premises when you hear it sounds like something new, fresh and exciting. Trouble is that the script turns and the way the movie is conducted leaves something in the air that makes you feel deeply torn about what you've just seen. I've seen it a few times (enjoyed a little on my first view; didn't impress on my second; but now, it's an okay movie that I can recommend). The appeal is due mostly to the cast and some great sequences that doesn't fade away in your memory so easily. As I said, the story's premise is the main factor that pulls you in from the start. Valerie, an idealist woman (Joanne Whalley-Kilmer) who firmly believes in the power of justice is selected for jury duty in this important cast involving a dangerous mobster, the menacing Rusty Pirone (Armand Assante, very good) who seems completely in charge of himself and the people around him despite facing a long-term prison for murder and other crimes. Pirone notices something in that particular female juror, and thus decides to ask to his comrades to find ways to get to the woman just to get one vote to unbalance the jury and the verdict, which will get him a new trial while the ambitious and dedicated prosecutor (Gabriel Byrne) doesn't uncover more evidences and more witnesses against the gangster. Meanwhile, Valerie has to deal with threats to her son's life and her own, on the hands of the mysterious Tommy Vesey (William Hurt), a man under Pirone's command and who pushes her to the limit in finding means to convince the jury that Pirone is innocent - even though the testimonies from the few witnesses already seem to convict the guy. If the plot sounds familiar to you is probably because you've already seen it the non-official remake with Demi Moore, "The Juror", which isn't a better film, it just works better with the thrills in a more memorable and frightening way. But somehow "Trial by Jury", over all these years was the one I always wanted to look back. It's classy, heavily dramatic in the sense that I cared about the characters (even the bad ones), a lot more than "The Juror" was. Despite the mediocre performance by the leading lady, I always liked the fact the script doesn't transform her into a super smart girl who finds all the means and answers to her problems - except for the very final scene with the mobster, that transition is just awfully hard to buy. She has the classic look Pirone admires when required, convinces a bit as a devoted mom but when it's all about serious things happening, she fails a bit. Another problematic aspect of the script, besides the slow development outside of the trial, deaths and threats sequences, is that we're not able to fully understand the real motive of the trial. They state that it was murder against a rival but it feels too cheap, more should be added and with more layers. While Byrne and Richard Portnow (as Pirone's talky lawyer, nice role by the way) conducts the whole circus with great presence, it's hard to understand the actual case because it's all torn in bits and pieces. Writers Heywood Gould (also the director) and Jordan Katz made it look too simplistic, just as much of the characters actions at times - why make the nice prosecutor such a clueless guy? With his character turned into a more investigate man, the twists and turns of the film would pay-off a lot more. As for the three main guys, Assante dominates the screen with great presence; Hurt makes an excellent use of his calm voice both to threat and to make sure to Valerie that, in some ways, he can help her; and Byrne makes a good job as Pirone's biggest nightmare - their scene at the restaurant is priceless. Mention must be made to Kathleen Quinlan as the sexy and killer lady from Rusty's team. Involving drama and average thriller, "Trial by Jury" succeeds a little even with that strange lack of balance. Not a bad way to spend the time. 7/10

A antique shop-owner in NYC, played by Joanne Whalley(Valerie Alston)gets put on a US District Court jury, on a trial of a known Mafioso Armand Asante(Rusty Pirone), and most of this very slow-paced film revolves around attempts of Pirone attempting to get Whalley to acquit him of murder, by threatening to kill her son, and herself. Much action ensues, involving gruesome mob-rub outs, interspread with Willam Hurt as the go-between. Much of this silly, disjointed mess surrounds Hurt and Asante's obsession with Whalley, courtroom scenes that we've all seen time and again, and an ending that is unbelievable. 3/10 is probably going easy on this waste of time.

Two years after this movie was made, "The Juror" came out. Don't waste your time on this one. See "The Juror" instead. "The Juror" is essentially the same story as "Trial By Jury," with better acting, better directing and a far more gripping aura about it. William Hurt was not believable as a cop-gone-bad, and Armand Assante couldn't be more unlike a mob boss if they had dressed him in a clown outfit. You didn't become involved enough with Joann Whalley's character to be that upset by what was happening to her. Also, the way in which she interacted with the jury wasn't compelling or interesting in any way. Kathleen Quinlan's role as a hooker/killer wasn't fleshed out enough and quite frankly was unnecessary for to the plot.

This improbable thriller about a woman juror (Whaley) who is kidnapped (and worse) in order to coerce her into voting to acquit a mob boss (Assante) who is on trial for murder, was better than I expected it to be. The plot is preposterous but the performances are excellent, particularly Hurt's as an alcoholic ex-cop who does part time work for the mobster. The appropriate time to watch this movie would be Saturday morning. Nevertheless, it is all right. I gave it a "6."