Obviously aimed for those who love the John Grisham type of thriller, THE JUROR has all the elements for a suspenseful film about jury tampering amid the trial of a Mafia boss, but doesn't quite reach its full potential. Perhaps the climactic showdown in Guatemala is where the story really runs into trouble finding a proper conclusion.
DEMI MOORE remains rather detached in her role as a young woman who is approached by ALEC BALDWIN for seemingly innocent purposes, when it turns out that he is actually someone called "The Teacher" assigned to get her to sway the others on the jury to vote for an acquittal.
He's so menacing (and Baldwin does "menacing" as well as any method actor available), that she reluctantly does her best to persuade the jurors to change their votes. Fortunately, these lamebrains have no capacity for thinking because it seems the lawyers have done an excellent job of finding the dumbest panel imaginable. But the story doesn't end with Moore influencing the verdict. That's just the beginning of even more peril for her.
It's the kind of film that works up to a point. But once the plot deals with further issues, it really gets out of hand. MOORE gives one of her less impressive performances, barely looking like a damsel in distress at any point. However, it's ALEC BALDWIN who makes the deepest impression with his sadistic villainy. He's never been one of my favorite persons (off the screen) but I have to admit he can play lowlifes with the best of them.
It's an average thriller, too lengthy for its own good and with an ending that should have been rewritten to make it more believable.
