Flick of the Day: Runaway Jury

Adaptations of John Grisham novels have become something of a cottage industry over the years producing a slew of films of varying quality ranging from the excellent (The Firm, A Time to Kill) to the dull (The Chamber) to the downright ill advised (Christmas with the Kranks). Today's flick of the day is somewhere in the middle, possessing a fine cast and an engaging tale without setting the world alight.

Runaway Jury

Opening in a New Orleans office, a recently let go employee returns to commit a mass killing spree with an automatic weapon during which he kills a young father. This motivates his widow to launch a lawsuit against the gun manufacturer for not taking more care of who purchased their product. We fast forward to the beginning of the trial. The gun manufacturers have hired the legendary bagman Rankin Fitch to deliver a favourable verdict. Fitch is played by a menacing Gene Hackman in a fine turn. Opposing Fitch's machinations is the idealistic attorney (a Grisham trope if ever there was one) Wendell Rohr played by Dustin Hoffman. Into this face-off steps juror number 9, Nick Easter, a game store clerk played by the always charming John Cusack. It soon becomes apparent that Nick and his other half played by Rachel Weisz have for reasons which become apparent in the final reel, their own agenda for the trial regardless of what the two legal teams want. Together they begin to communicate with both Hackman and Hoffman, promising to swing the jury for the right price.

As a screenwriter it is surely impossible to please fans of any source material be it a novel or a play without being too slavish to it. A film has to stand on its own. In this regard, the film makes a major departure from the source novel by amending the heartless corporation to a gun manufacturer from a big tobacco firm. I can't fathom the reason behind it but it adds an additional layer of unreality to an already overburdened tale. At numerous points in the film, one is forced to suspend the nagging question in the back of your mind that perhaps this wouldn't really go like that.

For all that, it is a compelling tale, director Gary Fleder manages to ratchet up the tension as the trial wares on and avoids spending too much time on court room drama. Focusing on the goings on in the jury room is a smart move and it relies on good character actors for the jury. Thankfully this is the case with most of them faces you have seen before like Cliff Curtis, Bill Nunn and Gerry Bamman.

Perhaps the best reason for seeing a film that is only so-so is the chance to see Hoffman and Hackman face off on screen. The old masters share only one major scene together but it is an entertaining turn all the same. Hackman's Fitch is the polar opposite of the crusading Rohr and is so often the case, the bad guy gets all the best lines. 

Rankin Fitch: You think your average juror is King Solomon? No, he's a roofer with a mortgage. He wants to go home and sit in his Barcalounger and let the cable TV wash over him. And this man doesn't give a single, solitary droplet of shit about truth, justice or your American way. 

Whereas Rohr would prefer to win the trial based on the veracity of his arguments, Fitch wants victory at all cost and is prepared to go to any lengths to get it including buying the jury or coercing them through nefarious means.

Cusack's Nick on the other hand is a cipher through which the plot flows though it is entertaining to watch the way in which he charms his way into the hearts of each of his fellow jurors.  Without giving too much away, the twist in tale is his motivation for playing with the trial and it should be obvious enough before it lopes into view.

All in all, this is an entertaining trifle and nothing more. Like so much of Grisham's work it goes best with the throwaway nature of books you read on an airplane.The cast are fine throughout with Hoffman and Hackman making the best of their roles. There is just enough tension to keep you interested until the end. 

Flick of The Day: The Conversation

When celeb thrash magnate TMZ broke the news a couple of weeks back that Gene Hackman had been knocked down while cycling in Florida, I suddenly realised that I hadn't seen him on the big screen in quite awhile. One of the all time greats, Hackman is now semi-retired having not appeared in a film since 2004's lacklustre Welcome to Mooseport. Turning 82 next week though, he has surely earned a rest with a fine career behind him including such memorable roles as The French Connection and more recently The Royal Tenenbaums. Today's flick of the day is another one of his classic roles in  Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation.

The Conversation

Made between the first two Godfather films which cemented his reputation as one of the best of the 70's auteurs, this is no less a masterpiece from Coppola though very much more of an art house film then those aforementioned pictures. Hackman is his usual reliable self as surveillance expert Harry Caul, the best in the business but a man wracked by the guilt of the damage caused by his telephone tapping and hidden cameras. Paranoid about everyone he meets, he is unable to relate to friends or make close connections because he can't get close enough to tell them any secrets about himself and his life. He takes on a case involving recording the conversation of a young couple in a busy San Francisco square though wary of the consequences. Together with his operative Stan, played by the late and truly great John Cazale, he records the conversation. At first glance it appears innocent enough but as the film progresses and Harry gets more and more detail, we learn that this is a dangerous conversation. Harry delivers it after a fashion to the large corporation that has requested it represented by an effete minion played by Harrison Ford and the Director played by an uncredited Robert Duvall. Harry fears for the young couple and attempts to keep his investigation ongoing, deeply worried about the consequences of his actions. However there is a twist in this tale and after all how closely did you listen to the conversation?

It is a crying shame that Coppola's career as a director took such a sharp downturn after his 70's heyday, reduced to making studio schlock like Jack, for when he was good he was very good indeed. A product of the short lived Director's Company, an attempt by Coppola to gain some freedom in his film making by bypassing the studio system, The Conversation is one of the true gems of 70's Hollywood. Making great use of the burgeoning sound technology, it weaves a fine tale of deceit and paranoia largely through the use of sound editing which makes the audience question what they are hearing, to question the nature of privacy in the modern world. This is something which is as relevant if not more relevant today as it was then.

Harry Caul: [upset, walking over to Martin seated] What are you doing here? 

Martin Stett: Take it easy I'm just a messenger. I brought you a drink. 

Harry Caul: I don't want your drink. Why are you following me? 

Martin Stett: I'm not following you I'm looking for you. There's a big difference.

Of course it helps when you assemble such a fine cast. Duvall, Hackman, Ford and Cazale all on one screen and all giving nuanced performances from a fine script which plays well on the audiences own fears. 

A commercial failure on release, perhaps lost between the success of the Godfather behemoth. it has since come to be seen for what it is. A ground breaking classic. Before this film, soundtracks were for dialogue and music. Coppola makes the soundtrack the heart of the film. Snippets of conversation, street musicians busking and the general hubbub of urban life are captured perfectly. It brought subtlety to how something was said, showing that the little inflection in speech can turn in a conversation on its head. Indeed, this is the root cause of the last minute twist which causes the audience the reassess what they heard. 

Perhaps today this film would not get made and even if did it would not have some of the biggest stars of the day in it. It would be a shame because for smart, well acted suspense, you really don't have to look any further. A classic

Flick of The Day: The French Connection

The Motion Picture Production Code or Hays code as it was popularly known came into being in 1934 and required all films to be certified prior to release. Of course, this meant that producers had to tone down anything sexually explicit or violent in order to obtain certification. This was effectively artistic neutering and meant that so many subjects could just not be tackled. This code held sway until the late 60's when it began to fall apart, giving the film-makers of the 1970's so much more licence. Today's film, The French Connection was one of the first to make use of the no-boundaries 70's. It broke the mould for the police procedural genre and its effect can still be felt in cinema today.

The French Connection

Directed by the supreme ego that is William Friedkin, The French Connection tells the tale of two narcotics cops and their attempts to take down a heroin importing kingpin. Popeye Doyle, played with zest and gruff natural charm by Gene Hackman and Buddy Russo played ably by Roy Scheider. On a hunch, they follow Sal Boca, a small time criminal, and his girlfriend home from a nightclub after they spot him throwing money around like confetti. Their suspicions are proved correct and they quickly realize that Sal is involved in a large conspiracy to import heroin from Marseilles and that suave businessman Alain Charnier, a terrific Fernando Rey, is the man behind the French connection.

The film is photographed with a gritty realism, almost documentary in style. Stark black and white credits buttress an opening sequence that is without preamble and pulls you in immediately. Friedkin was a documentary film-maker before moving to features and this shines through in his work. It is perfect for this story however as the true story that lies beneath the French connection is an intriguing one. In reality, the connection provided the majority of the heroin that flooded the streets of New York in the late 60's and early 70's. Indeed, there is a tale that in preparation for the film, the real Doyle and Russo took Friedkin on a trip to a flophouse that was a mere 8 blocks from his apartment. 

The character of Popeye Doyle, so perfectly portrayed by Hackman is a landmark in cinema. He is one of the first screen anti-heroes, gruff and profane and at times racist but always devoted to the job, even to his own detriment. Hackman deservedly won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance, which makes the film. It adds to the overall sense of realism, something reinforced by the downbeat ending which suited the film and was typical of the era. It is a great shame that the films that came after this did not stick to this level of realism for it makes for compelling viewing. The film is perhaps best remembered for its car chase scene, in which Popeye chases an overhead train through the streets of New York in the middle of the day. Legend has it that the producers did not have any permits to film this scene and instead just set off one day and Friedkin filmed what occurred. It is thrilling and there is a great feeling of speed as Popeye tries desperately to get his man. This is perhaps the best place to end this review. Enjoy!

Flick of The Day: The Royal Tenenbaums

Wes Anderson is the film making equivalent of Marmite, people either love or hate his work which is some of the most stylish in Hollywood today. All of his work from Rushmore to Fantastic Mr Fox are borne of the same unique style and idiosyncratic sense of humour. This creates a world in which Anderson can then tell the story, and as a viewer you either fall in love with his vision and design of the world or you don't. I would be in the former category.

The Royal Tenenbaums (The Criterion Collection)

The Royal Tenenbaums is perhaps Wes Anderson's most complete film. Combining one of his best scripts, written with Owen Wilson, with one of the great ensemble casts assembled in modern cinema. Gene Hackman, in one of his finest performances of a career filled with fine performances, is the family patriarch, Royal Tenenbaum, a feckless and conniving rogue who is estranged from his wife, the ever beautiful Anjelica Huston and his three "genius" children, Ben Stiller as Chas the business mogul, Gwyneth Paltrow as Margot the playwright and Luke Wilson as Richie the tennis pro. Add to this, Owen Wilson as a childhood friend of the Tenenbaums, Danny Glover and the always brilliant Bill Murray and you have a very fine cast, all who excel with Anderson's fine script.

Narrated by Alec Baldwin, the film is laid out like a novel, with chapters and a cast of characters. We learn of the three Tenenbaum children and their early success's and their later inability to adapt to the adult world, unhelped by the lack of a father figure with Royal estranged from the children. As part of his own machinations, Royal suddenly decides to take an interest in the family and attempts to worm his way back in to their hearts under the auspices of a terminal illness. Things work their way out in the end. Of course, there is a lot of humour along the way and the film's own personal style carries the tale along. When we meet the Tenenbaums as adults, they are a shadow of their former child genius selves. Gene Hackman has some of the best lines and steals most of the film.

[about Margot's play] 

Young Chas Tenenbaum: What'd you think, Dad? 

Royal: Didn't seem believable to me. 

[to Eli] 

Royal: Why are you wearing pajamas? Do you live here? 

Young Richie Tenenbaum: He has permission to sleep over. 

Young Chas Tenenbaum: Well, did you at least think the characters were well developed? 

Royal: What characters? There's a bunch of little kids dressed up in animal costumes. 

Young Margot Tenenbaum: Good night, everyone. 

Royal: Well, sweetie, don't get mad at me. That's just one man's opinion.

It's entertaining because Royal really is an irredeemable shit, and Hackman has great fun with the character aided by an excellent script. Its obvious that Anderson has a love for his characters and this shines throughout the film which is possessed of a warm heart. 

All in all, this is a great film with a stand out central performance from Gene Hackman aided by a fine ensemble cast and one of the best comedy scripts of the past ten years.  It pulls you into the unique world of the Tenenbaums and like all great films, you may not want to leave at the end. Anderson has never bettered this film though I still retain a soft spot for both The Life Acquatic and Fantastic Mr Fox.