8A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, October 20, 2003 ARTS- 4 Jury' dismissed out of confusion By Justin Weiner Daily Arts Writer MOVIE REVIEW * One generally knows what to expect from a movie based on a John Grisham novel. A moralistic, Southern lawyer represents an unfairly persecut- ed client against a giant, evil corpora- tion represented by a sleazy yet skilled defense attorney. "Runaway Jury," the seventh Grisham novel adapted to film, retains all of these elements, but adds a slight 4 Courtesy of Warner Bros. See that? I thought only ass- holes used the word pansy. INTO THE 'MYSTIC' EAST WOOD' S MASTERFUL PORTRAIT OF PERSONAL PAIN twist to the basic Instead of relying on standard dra- matic orations and arguments, this movie focuses on a battle to manipu- late the jury. When Celeste courtroom drama. Runaway Jury At Showcase, Madstone and Quality 16 20th Century Fox Courtesy or 20th century Fox No, no, I love your tits, love 'em, I wanna fondle 'em. By Zach Mabee Daily Arts Writer Clint Eastwood's abysmal eyes and their searing glare are a surefire means of weakening even the most res- olute of characters. His look begs you to wonder whether there's any humanity left under his weathered, battle-tested skin. After seeing "Mystic River," his newest directori- al effort, the answer is a definite and Mystic River resounding "yes. At Showcase and Set in present day South Boston, Quality 16 "Mystic" tells the story of Jimmy Warner Bros. (Sean Penn), Dave (Tim Robbins) and Sean (Kevin Bacon). As youths, the three inseparable boyhood friends are torn apart when Dave is abducted by kidnappers, tortured and sexually abused. He survives the ordeal, but the friends grow apart with time. Only when Jimmy's daughter is mysteriously mur- dered years later are they brought back together; their reunion, however, is not for better. Sean is the homicide detective on the case, and his investigation only rekindles past problems and demons that eventually lead to tragedy. This story is ideal for Eastwood's exploration of pain and misfortune, for his keen observations on the frailty of people that he understands so well. If setting can be set aside, this movie is much like his great westerns: at once a probing character study and simple morality tale about friendship and the problems of pain and heartbreak. The setup is fraught with anticipation, as all the guys initially seem to be leading lives of contentment and com- fort in their boyhood borough. Something is bound to go wrong. The introduction of the murder and the downward spiral into the film's dark bowels is done wonderfully by Clint and co. In a scene reminiscent of the closing bap- tism in "The Godfather," shots of Jimmy's daughter's first communion and his other daughter's murder scene are spliced and juxtaposed brilliantly by editor Joel Cox. Once pain enters the equation, it inexorably remains. "Mystic" drags all the skeletons out of its characters' clos- ets and allows them to deliver Oscar-worthy individual performances. Penn plays Jimmy with unyielding force and aggression, as he balances his craving for vigilantism and vengeance and attempts to sidestep his criminal past. Robbins hides his love away as Dave and shows all the scars that we'd expect to see in a victim of such abuse. And Bacon delivers Sean as an ambivalent friend, trying hard to balance an obligation to buddies with one to the law, all the while attempting to recover his lost love life with his estranged wife. The supporting cast, including Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden and Laura Linney, is nearly as remarkable as the leads, and the roles are surely as emo- tive and personal as could be expected. It's these charac- ters that are the outstanding factor in "Mystic," the personal, sympathetic individuals that we all understand so well, and that Eastwood understands even better. Wood's (Joanna Going, "Phantoms") husband is shot and killed in his office, she turns to attorney Wendell Rohr (Dustin Hoffman). Rohr files a lawsuit against the gun manufacturer that neg- ligently allowed its guns to fall into the hands of criminals. The gun company hires Rankin Fitch (Gene Hackman) to fix the trail by bullying and manipulat- ing the jury to decide in his client's favor. Fitch seems to have total control of the jury, until juror Nicholas Easter (John Cusack) and his girlfriend Mar- lee (Rachel Weisz, "The Mummy") begin their own game of manipulation and deception. Though the cat-and-mouse game between Easter and Fitch is not typical Grisham fare, it adds little entertain- ment value. Their uncanny ability to manipulate the jurors and the events in the courtroom seems highly implausi- ble. Furthermore, the film becomes overburdened by the added plot twist. Is this a dramatic story of a lawsuit against gun manufacturers, or is it a thriller about control and exploitation? "Run- away Jury" just contains too many plot elements, sub-stories and characters. There are, however, moments in "Runaway Jury" that make the movie worthwhile. Rohr's confrontation with Fitch is a stirring homage to the integrity of justice in America, and watching Hackman and Hoffman square off is certainly something spe- cial. Also, Cusack provides some amusing and entertaining moments, as his character subtly wrests control of the jury from Fitch. If the film had only focused on the unwavering honor of Wendell Rohr, or the cunningness of Nicholas Easter, it may have made for a better movie. In the end, however, the overly abundant plots and superfluous characters dilute the action of "Runaway Jury" and doom the film to failure. I Blanchett remarkable in Guerin' role By Jennie Adler Daily Arts Writer With "Veronica Guerin," Joel Schu- macher takes a break from action to direct a little-known true story. Veronica Guerin, an Irish journalist credited with helping diminish the drug world, finally has her story told in the States. The movie opens with the attack leading to Guerin's brutal death, then flashes back two years earlier to tell the story of the Veronica very public investi- Guerin gation that brought At Showcase and her downfall. In Quality 16 the 1990s, with Touchstone Ireland's drug use at an all time high, Guerin, writing for Dublin's Sunday Independent sets aside her government-crime articles to pursue head-honcho drug trafficker. Impas- I Courtesy of Touchstone Oh. Well that explains the hijacking. sioned by "innocent" drugged-up teens and children playing with old hypoder- mic needles, she falls deeper and deeper into the underground world of drugs eventually leading to the drug lord him- self, John Gilligan (Gerard McSorley). McSorley is a maddened pocket- sized man who compensates for his stature with his big mouth. With dia- logue like "I'll kidnap your boy and ride him," he adds the right amount of fear and danger. In addition to McSorley's colorful role is the remarkable performance of Cate Blanchett as Guerin. Blanchett, still beautiful as ever, shows off her act- ing chops in a hoity-toity BBC get-up. She's in almost every scene (an impres- sive task), which makes sense consider- ing the hot-dogging character of Guerin. She's so determined and self- absorbed, she forgets her understanding husband and toddler son. She is so wor- ried about appearing fearless that she loses sight of the real threats to her life. In parts, the plot is repetitive and uneventful (but then again, it is based on a real life). The movie so quickly jumps back and forth between Guerin questioning an Irish thug to pumping her sources for information and late nights with her family, that after about 30 minutes, the inspiration of helping drugged up kids is entirely forgotten. Despite the often cyclical plot, you find yourself sympathizing with Guerin's cause and fighting for the good side so that her struggle for justice is the motivation for the entire film. By the end, when the movie catches up with its past, you are attached to her. With the help of quality acting, a moving human-interest story and big names like Schumacher (as well as an unnecessary cameo from Colin Farrell), "Guerin" just makes the headlines. 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