The Juror

For the Leverage episode "The Juror #6 Job", see List of Leverage episodes#Season 1 (2008–2009).

The Juror
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Brian Gibson
Produced by	Irwin Winkler
Screenplay by	Ted Tally
Based on	The Juror  by George Dawes Green
Starring	Demi Moore Alec Baldwin
Music by	James Newton Howard
Cinematography	Jamie Anderson
Editing by	Robert M. Reitano
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	February 2, 1996 (1996-02-02)
Running time	118 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$44 million
Box office	$22,754,725

The Juror is a 1996 American romantic thriller film based on the 1995 novel by George Dawes Green. It was directed by Brian Gibson and stars Demi Moore as Annie Laird, a single mother picked for jury duty for a mafia trial. The film was released on 2 February 1996.^{[citation needed]}

Plot

Annie Laird (Demi Moore) is a sculptor who lives in New York with her son Oliver (Joseph Gordon-Levitt); she works a day job as a data entry clerk. Annie is selected to be a juror in the trial of mob boss Louie Boffano (Tony Lo Bianco), who is accused of ordering the murder of Salvatore Riggio, and she meets a man named Mark Cordell (Alec Baldwin). He buys some of Annie's artwork, then wines and dines her before Annie discovers Mark is better known as "The Teacher". He is Boffano's enforcer, and the material perpetrator of the hit job for which Boffano is being prosecuted. Mark tells Annie to persuade the jury to acquit Boffano, or she and Oliver will die.

An extremely frightened Annie does persuade the jury to acquit Boffano. After the trial, Boffano wonders if maybe Annie should disappear, because Boffano sees Annie as a loose end. Mark has a problem with this because he has developed feelings for her. To exert further pressure on Annie to ensure she doesn't pose a problem for Boffano, Mark goes after Annie's friend Juliet (Anne Heche). After having sex with her, Mark reveals himself to Juliet as Annie's stalker. He pulls a gun and forces Juliet to take a fatal drug overdose. Mark boasts of Juliet's murder to his partner and fellow hitman, Eddie (James Gandolfini).

To ensure her son's safety, Annie hides Oliver in T'ui Cuch, Guatemala with her friend Boone (Matt Craven). At the same time, the district attorney (who figured out Annie was threatened to return a not guilty verdict) wants Annie to turn state's witness so they can go after Mark, who now plans to take over Boffano's empire.

Annie convinces the DA's office to have her wear a wire, which she removes and gives it to Eddie, instructing him to leave her and Mark alone. Annie then succeeds in getting Mark to incriminate himself in a boastful rant on his ambitions, which are recorded on a hidden tape recorder. She then uses the tape to tip off Boffano to Mark's plans. Boffano schedules a meeting to "deal" with Mark. Eddie arranges the meeting, but Mark kills both Boffano and Boffano's son Joseph (Michael Rispoli), along with their henchmen. He also slashes Eddie's throat. Mark is furious at Annie for setting him up. He calls her, revealing his knowledge of Oliver's whereabouts and his intention to travel to Guatemala to kill Oliver.

In Guatemala, there is a showdown when Mark arrives. After Mark chases Oliver into a structure, natives shoot Mark. Annie, who has a pistol, fires six more shots, killing Mark and ensuring Oliver's safety.

Cast

• Demi Moore as Annie Laird
• Alec Baldwin as Mark Cordell / The Teacher
• James Gandolfini as Eddie
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Oliver Laird
• Lindsay Crouse as Tallow
• Anne Heche as Juliet
• Tony Lo Bianco as Louie Boffano
• Michael Rispoli as Joseph Boffano
• Matthew Cowles as Rodney
• Matt Craven as Boone
• Frank Adonis as DeCicco
• Michael Constantine as Judge Weitzel

Reception

The Juror was a financial and critical failure; on an alleged $44 million budget, the film made little more than half this in the domestic box office.^{[citation needed]} The film currently holds a 15% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Demi Moore won the Razzie Award for Worst Actress for her performance in the film.^{[citation needed]} (as well as Striptease.^{[citation needed]} ).

External links

• The Juror at the Internet Movie Database
• The Juror at AllRovi
• The Juror at Box Office Mojo
• The Juror at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Juror at Movieweb