La jurée

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.

Annie Laird (Demi Moore) is a sculptress and single mother to Oliver (Gordon-Levitt) who essentially talks her way onto the jury of a major Mafia trial. That leads to her being targeted and manipulated by a hit-man(Baldwin) who demands that Annie produce a not guilty verdict……

Baldwin and Moore trying their best, and are compelling to a point, it all eventually unravels due to over-length and implausibility of the characters, whose actions over the course of the film are increasingly unlikely.

This film is a great demonstration of Demi Moore's lacking of facial expression. She's a capable performer, but she lacks the ability to project either vulnerability or likability. Moore fails at playing the victim.

Moore is played away by Heche (one with great facial expressions). Heche in the leading role And Moore in the role of best friend, could have raised this movie up from being slightly better than average into an exciting thriller.

This is a pretty good movie up until the ending, that goes way over-the-top.

Excellent: Demi Moore, cinematography. The suspense-parts are generally well done, for example where it is not clear whether the boy on the bicycle will be killed or not.

General plot: Unfortunately the genre where the good person does nothing right and the bad person does nothing wrong. And innocent friends also get killed in the process. Then suddenly in the last 5 minutes the good person amasses incredible logistics and action, and the bad guy dies. Better would have been some more intellectual input throughout the film from the heroin, such as that she gradually finds out where he hid microphones, and realises that he has her address list, and so warns her friends what is going on.

This movie is enough to recommend on the strength of the acting from Moore, Gandolfini, and especially Alec Baldwin but it is a shame that some of the excesses and superfluousness (especially the unsatisfying escapade in Guatemala) could not have been cut out. Instead of more action it would have been interesting if the ethical aspect of a compromised juror (albeit unwillingly) could have been explored in the spirit of 12 Angry Men. Anyway, this movie still rates a 7/10 on the strength of some undeniable suspense and very strong acting especially from Baldwin.

This Juror isn't as bad as some reviewers might make it out to be. Granted it is a bit protracted and could be called disjointed as well but it's not devoid of any intensity. Overall its a mediocre thriller but what sets it apart,in the eyes of this reviewer,is Alec Baldwin's performance. Most good actors give some of their best work as villains and Baldwin is well cast in the role of a psychotic hitman. While sometimes a great performance is really more of a great character, this is a case of a passable role that is brought to life by the actor. Who also revitalizes the entire film.