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Trial by Jury (1994)

Rate: 6
Viewed: 6/24

TrJu
6/24: It's hard not to be reminded of The Juror, but the truth is: Trial by Jury predates it by two years.

The blueprint is exactly the same: Joanne Whalley-Kilmer is Demi Moore, and they both have a son, have been selected for jury duty in a major trial, and are being threatened by an enforcer to vote not guilty or else. Instead of Alec Baldwin, it's William Hurt. As a bonus, Armand Assante plays it up big.

So, which film is better? I'll say they're about the same. If not for Alec Baldwin, I go with Trial by Jury by a wide margin only because it's almost a solid thriller. The performances have won me over, but it's a dumb picture in some ways that feels finished by the time a hung jury verdict has been rendered.

Joanne Whalley-Kilmer looks like Ashley Judd here, but the former is a better actress than the latter. I question Tommy Vesey's wisdom of choosing her character because she's obviously too bold. If he went with a weaker person like Jane the red-headed woman, the outcome would've looked better for the bad guys. Speaking of them, there's barely anyone around Rusty Pirone given the fact that he's the godfather.

All in all, Trial by Jury and The Juror are more or less the same.