''The Juror'' is a 1996 American

legal thriller The legal thriller genre is a type of crime fiction genre that focuses on the proceedings of the investigation, with particular reference to the impacts on courtroom proceedings and the lives of characters. The courtroom proceedings and legal a ...

film based on the 1995 novel by

George Dawes Green George Dawes Green (born 1954) is an American novelist and the founder of the storytelling organization The Moth. Books and films Green published his first novel, ''The Caveman's Valentine'', in 1994. It was adapted into a film in 2001, starri ...

. It was directed by Brian Gibson and stars

Demi Moore Demi Gene Moore ( ; née Guynes; born November 11, 1962) is an American actress. After making her film debut in 1981, Moore appeared on the soap opera ''General Hospital'' (1982–1984) and subsequently gained recognition as a member of the Bra ...

as a single mother picked for jury duty for a

mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...

trial and

Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. In his early career, Baldwin played both leading and supporting roles in a variety of films such as Tim Burton's ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), Mike Nichol ...

as a mobster sent to intimidate her. The film received highly negative reviews and Moore won a joint

Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress Razzie Award for Worst Actress is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst actress of the previous year. Male actors performing in drag are eligible, as it is intended as a humorous award. The following is a list of ...

for both her performance in this film and in ''

Striptease A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper" or an "ex ...

''.

Plot

Annie Laird is a sculptor who lives in New York with her son Oliver; she works a day job as a

data entry clerk A data entry clerk, also known as data preparation and control operator, data registration and control operator, and data preparation and registration operator, is a member of staff employed to enter or update data into a computer system. Data is o ...

. Annie is selected to be a juror in the trial of mafia boss Louie Boffano, who is accused of ordering the murder of Salvatore Riggio. Mark Cordell buys some of Annie's artwork and then wines and dines her before she discovers he is better known as "The Teacher", Boffano's enforcer and the actual perpetrator of Riggio's murder. Mark tells Annie to persuade the jury to acquit Boffano, or she and Oliver will die. A frightened Annie convinces the jury to acquit Boffano. After the trial, Boffano questions whether Annie should "disappear", seeing her as a loose end. Mark convinces Boffano otherwise. Mark goes after Annie's friend Juliet. After having sex with her, Mark reveals himself to be Annie's stalker. He pulls a gun and forces Juliet to take a fatal drug overdose. Mark boasts of Juliet's murder to Eddie, who also works for Boffano but unlike Mark, is sympathetic to Annie as he is a parent himself. To ensure her son's safety, Annie hides Oliver in the village of T'ui Cuch,

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

. The prosecutor, who figured out Annie was threatened, 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 prosecutor to let her wear a wire in a scheduled meeting with Mark. Annie removes the wire and gives it to Eddie, insinuating she and Mark are now a couple. Annie then succeeds in getting Mark to incriminate himself in a boastful rant about his ambitions, which she tapes on a hidden tape recorder. She uses the tape to tip off Boffano, who schedules a meeting with Mark. Boffano's plan backfires when Mark kills both Boffano and his son Joseph, along with their henchmen. He also slashes Eddie's throat. Mark, furious at Annie's betrayal, calls her, revealing his intention to travel to Guatemala to kill Oliver. Annie travels to Guatemala where there is a showdown with Mark. He chases Oliver into a structure, where locals shoot Mark. Annie, also armed with a pistol, fires six more shots, making sure Mark is dead after he tries to shoot Annie with a gun pulled from his ankle holster. Oliver is unharmed.

Cast

as Annie Laird *

as Vincent "The Teacher" / Mark Cordell *

James Gandolfini James Joseph Gandolfini Jr. (; September 18, 1961 – June 19, 2013) was an American actor. For his role as Tony Soprano, the Italian-American Mafia crime boss in HBO's television series ''The Sopranos'', he won three Emmy Awards, five Scree ...

as Eddie *

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt (; born February 17, 1981) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his leading performances ...

as Oliver Laird *

Lindsay Crouse Lindsay Ann Crouse is a retired American actress. She made her Broadway debut in the 1972 revival of ''Much Ado About Nothing'' and appeared in her first film in 1976 in ''All the President's Men''. For her role in the 1984 film ''Places in the ...

as US Attorney Tallow *

Anne Heche Anne Celeste Heche ( ; May 25, 1969August 11, 2022) was an American actress, known for her roles in a variety of genres in film, television, and theater, receiving numerous accolades, including a National Board of Review Award and multiple Emmy ...

as Juliet *

Tony Lo Bianco Anthony LoBianco (born October 19, 1936) is an Italian-American film, stage, and television actor. Born to first-generation Italian American parents in New York City, Lo Bianco began his career in theater, and appeared in several Broadway prod ...

as Louie Boffano *

Michael Rispoli Michael Rispoli is an American character actor. He was a contender for the role of Tony Soprano in the HBO television series ''The Sopranos,'' but was ultimately cast as Jackie Aprile, a recurring character in the show’s first season. Rispo ...

as Joseph Boffano *

Matthew Cowles Matthew Cowles (September 28, 1944 – May 22, 2014) was an American actor and playwright. Early life The son of actor and theatre producer Chandler Cowles, he was born in New York City. Career In 1966 Cowles played the title role in Edward Al ...

as Rodney *

Matt Craven Matt may refer to: *Matt (name), people with the given name ''Matt'' or Matthew, meaning "gift from God", or the surname Matt *In British English, of a surface: having a non-glossy finish, see gloss (material appearance) *Matt, Switzerland, a mu ...

as Boone *

Frank Adonis Frank Testaverde Scioscia (October 27, 1935 – December 26, 2018) was an American film and television actor. He was perhaps best known for playing the mobster Anthony Stabile in the 1990 film ''Goodfellas''. Life and career Adonis was born i ...

as DeCicco *

Michael Constantine Michael Constantine (born Gus Efstratiou (Ευστρατίου); May 22, 1927 – August 31, 2021) was an American actor. He is most widely recognized for his portrayal of Kostas "Gus" Portokalos, the Windex bottle-toting Greek father of Toula ...

as Judge Weitzel *

Polly Adams Pauline "Polly" Adams (born 27 August 1939) is an English actress best known for her work on the stage both in England and in the United States, and for her portrayal of Mrs. Brown on the television series ''Just William''. She made her Broadwa ...

as Jury Forewoman *

Jack Gilpin John Mitchell "Jack" Gilpin (born May 31, 1951) is an American actor. He currently portrays Church the Butler in HBO's historical drama series ''The Gilded Age''. He is the father of actress Betty Gilpin. Early life Gilpin was born on May 31 ...

as Accountant, Juror * Chuck Cooper as Stockbroker, Juror * Charle Landry as Musician, Juror * Tom Signorelli as Locksmith, Juror *

Frances Foster Frances Helen Foster (née Brown; June 11, 1924 – June 17, 1997) was an American film, television and stage actress. In addition to being an actress, Brown was also an award–winning stage director. Life and career Foster was born Fran ...

as Housewife, Juror * Robin Moseley as Matron, Juror *

Julie Halston Julie Halston is an American actress and comedian. She was born in Flushing, Queens on December 7, 1954. Her parents, Rudolph “Rudy” Abatelli and her mother Julia Madeline “Dolly” (née Gardner) moved to Commack, Long Island when Halst ...

as Inez *

Todd Susman Todd Susman (born January 17, 1947) is an American actor. Early life A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Susman graduated from Ladue Horton Watkins High School in 1965. Career Susman has appeared in over one hundred different television series and ...

as Boezman * Rosemary De Angelis as Mrs. Riggio *

Joe Perrino Joseph Perrino (born April 30, 1982) is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the drama film ''Sleepers'' in 1996. Life and career Joseph Perrino is an American film, television and stage actor, best known for his roles in the fe ...

as Tommy Riggio * James McCauley as Carew * William Hill as Walters *

Chuck Zito Charles Alfred Zito Jr. (born March 1, 1953) is an American actor and boxer who is the former president of the New York chapter of the Hells Angels, and later became an actor. Early life Zito was born in New York, the second of three children o ...

as Frankie

Production

Columbia Pictures acquired the movie rights to the unpublished book for $1.5 million. They then paid

Ted Tally Ted Tally (born April 9, 1952) is an American playwright and screenwriter. He adapted the Thomas Harris novel '' The Silence of the Lambs'' into the film of the same name, for which he received the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, the ...

over $1 million to write the screenplay.

Reception

Critical response

''The Juror'' was a critical failure. It holds a 22% approval rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 4.5/10. The site's consensus states: "Self-serious despite its abundance of trite twists, ''The Juror'' is a drab thriller that audiences may hold in contempt." Moore won a joint

Razzie Award The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic under-achievements. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, ...

for Worst Actress for both her performance in this film and in ''

''. She was also nominated for the same joint award at the 1996

Stinkers Bad Movie Awards The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards (formerly known as the ''Hastings Bad Cinema Society'') was a Los Angeles-based group of film buffs and film critics devoted to honoring the worst films of the year. The society was founded by Mike Lancaster and Ray ...

but lost to

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...

for '' Theodore Rex'', ''

Eddie Eddie or Eddy may refer to: Science and technology *Eddy (fluid dynamics), the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle * Eddie (text editor), a text editor originally for BeOS and now ported to Lin ...

'', and '' Bogus''. Audiences surveyed by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...

gave the film a grade of "B+" on a scale of A+ to F.

Box office

The film grossed $22.7 million in the United States and Canada and $60 million worldwide, against its $44 million budget.

References

External links

* * * *
''The Juror''
at Movieweb {{DEFAULTSORT:Juror, The 1996 films 1990s crime drama films 1990s thriller films American courtroom films American crime drama films American thriller drama films American thriller films 1990s English-language films Films directed by Brian Gibson Films with screenplays by Ted Tally Films produced by Irwin Winkler Golden Raspberry Award winning films Films scored by James Newton Howard Juries in fiction Films based on American novels Films based on crime novels Films set in Guatemala Films set in New York (state) Films shot in New York (state) Films shot in New Jersey Films shot in New Mexico Columbia Pictures films 1996 drama films 1990s American films