4/20/2009

Trial By Jury (1996)

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"You live your life, believing in things like justice and the law. Then someone grabs you off the street in broad daylight. Walks right past the police and tells you that he'll reach out from beyond the grave and kill your son. You don't think about right or wrong, you only think about survival. You do what you have to do."

NYC shop owner and single mother Valerie Alston (Joanne Whalley) is selected to serve on the jury to determine the guilt or innocence of mobster Rusty Pirone (Armand Assante) who is charged with conspiracy to kill and the actual murder of 11 people.

The mob has already done away with two key witnesses and just as the trial begins they've murdered key witness Limpy DeMarco (John Capodice) along with the four cops guarding him. Valerie is briefly abducted by Tommy Vesey (William Hurt), a former cop turned mob good fella, who informs her that unless she votes for Pirone's innocence Valerie's son Robbie (Bryan Shilowich) will be murdered, and she'll be killed, too.

Others in the cast include Gabriel Byrne as the Federal prosecutor Daniel Graham; Kathleen Quinlan as the goons' mol Wanda; Margaret Whitton as Jane, the juror who befriends Valerie; Richard Portnow as Defense Attorney Leo Greco; William R. Moses as the flirtatious juror Paul; Joe Santos as the uncle of the defendent and witness Johnny Verona; Stuart Whitman as Valerie's Father; Robert Breuler as the dyspeptic judge.

Written and directed by Heywood Gould.

Run time: 1 hour, 47 minutes

Rated R.

My personal rating: B

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