The Juror

Plot synopsis:
Annie Laird (Demi Moore) is a sculptor who lives in New York with her son Oliver (Joseph Gordon-Levitt); she works a day job as a data entry clerk. Annie is selected to be a juror in the trial of mob boss Louie Boffano (Tony Lo Bianco), who is accused of ordering the murder of Salvatore Riggio.
Mark Cordell (Alec Baldwin) 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 (Anne Heche). 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 (James Gandolfini), 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. 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 (Michael Rispoli), 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.

Tags: revenge, murder

Review:
'The Juror' has a strong, easy to follow plot and some really great acting; Alec Baldwin's role was terrifyingly real!
One almost wishes that there weren't this little matter of her agreeing to serve on the jury in the case of a Mafia boss on trial for murder..I will gloss over the excellent, if unlikely, plot since it would be preemptive to reveal any of it, and concentrate on Demi Moore who is gorgeous, strange and riveting.It might seem impossible to give an 'heroic' performance in a thriller, since the point of a thriller is pure entertainment, but this movie manages to look into the nature of good and evil a bit more than most, and Moore plays her part like our dream of a true heroine.
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..
Oh yeah, other reasons to watch this film are nice supporting performances from Alec Baldwin and Anne Heche.
This is, by far, Demi Moore's best film to date as she shows so much emotion as a single mother stuck in a difficult position between working for the mafia in order to save her family and herself.
Alec Baldwin is pretty good as the villain and Anne Heche gives all she has as the token best friend.
A thoroughly enjoyable film with the sexy and talented Alec Baldwin playing a sadistic dark character role as a hitman for the Bofanno family.
The film's opening is both entertaining and unpredictable as Demi Moore's character, Annie Laird is called up for jury service and is subsequently taken on as a juror for the Bofanno case " the big spaghettio" , a nick name for Louis Bofanno's character.
I liked the film on several levels: Acting (Moore, Gandolfini, Heche, and Baldwin), plot (plausible), and suspense (twists, timing, ending).
That Moore apparently received the Razzie award for worst actress is simply incomprehensible – I thought she was completely compelling in her role as single mother who is threatened along with her teenage son by the mob unless she cooperates as a juror in rendering a not-guilty verdict for a guilty mobster.
The movie then began to meander with all these small sub-plots between Baldwin, Moore, the mafia guy, Anne Heche etc.
Demi Moore gives a sullen performance as an artist and single mom who is harassed by mobsters while serving jury-duty on murder trial involving Mafia Godfather.
Overwritten, inconsistent film attempts to outweigh its campier aspects with mind-thriller clichés (such as Alec Baldwin's role as a egomaniacal hit-man) but results are still closer to "Murder, She Wrote" than to anything resembling Tom Clancy.
Anne Heche does what she can with a best-friend role and there are a few rousing scenes, but the off-kilter script buries the good points, giving way to a pushy, unpleasant and occasionally offensive movie.
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.
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.
I do like the Alec Baldwin-Demi Moore version, however I think they capitalized on the fact that this movie was not noticed on a wide basis and jumped in to make a movie with the same premise.
The Juror is a lurid little crime/courtroom thriller from the 90's that features Alec Baldwin in one of his then frequent asshole roles, Demi Moore in a solid lead and a startlingly young Joseph Gordon Levitt as her son.
I don't really know alot about Demi Moore, but after watching her in this, i will definitely purchase more of her films, she was completely convincing as a mother who enters a court case involving the mafia, and ends up on there hit list, but it was the story that gripped me, alot of mafia type movies are long drawn out sagas, that are hard to follow, this one is much different as it takes you away from the usual mafia story, and cosentrates more on the relationship of the mother and her son, which softens the whole tone, and also the hitman has a real purpose, and is one of the main characters played by Alec Baldwin, who is brilliant in any part he's playing, he really is evil in this one, but him and Demi worked well together, just a shame there was no romance..
There is a lot wrong with this movie, but none of that is really Moore's fault, as despite a stellar cast (Alec Baldwin, James Gandolfini, and Anne Heche) it is her who carries the movie on her own.
Alec Baldwin does his usual good work, and Anne Heche stole the movie as the "best friend," but this is done in such a clinical and cynical way, so it feels like a machine did this movie, rather than people.
It's just a thriller, and as such, an EXCELLENT ONE!!I followed it in total concentration, being captivated by such superb actors and director and finding all scenes and sequences amazingly perfect.There is not a single word spoken unnecessarily and every one is always in character, plus a great photography and as eye candy Demi Moore and Alec Baldwin, two superb actors on top of being gorgeous.I found this movie above average for a thriller, surprisingly above average!!.
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.
Seeing as THE JUROR revolves round a plot of someone trying to convince a jury to find a man accused of murder innocent I was expecting something along the lines of 12 ANGRY MEN and you do not believe how foolish I feel writing this paragraph .
After all a tense court room drama would have needed a good script and some intense acting , neither of which can be found in a film containing the words " Starring Demi Moore "
Just think this could have been quite good if the producers had decided to focus on the heroine trying to get her fellow jurors onto her side in an open and shut case , and it goes without saying there`s a massive cop out where the script decides to forgo any explanation why the jury changed their mind about the accused .
Demi Moore (who isn't my favourite actress) was fine as sculptor Annie Laird, and James Gandolfini carried his weight as Eddie, a sympathetic member of a local mob family.
Ann Heche was superfluous as Annie's friend Juliet.The story revolves around Annie being selected for jury duty in a murder trial involving the head of the mob family, Louis Boffano (Tony Lo Bianco.) Desperate to get Boffano acquitted, Eddie and the Teacher are sent to threaten Annie, telling her that unless she successfully argues for an acquittal in the case, her son Oliver (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) will be killed.
Annie Laird (Demi Moore) is an artist selected as a juror in the big trial.
But, psychotic henchman Alec Baldwin (as Vincent, the "Teacher") will do anything to insure Ms. Moore vote his mob boss "Not Guilty"; this puts the lives of Moore, son Joseph Gordon-Levitt (as Oliver), and topless best friend Anne Heche (as Juliet) in grave danger."The Juror" makes little sense, if you think too much about what is happening to Moore; but, she is attractive, and the movie is moderately engaging.
This is the movie to cite if you want to be excused from jury duty.***** The Juror (2/2/96) Brian Gibson ~ Demi Moore, Alec Baldwin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Heche.
Certainly if I was The Teacher, I wouldn't be putting all my hopes on only one person, trying to convince them that an already guilty person in the minds of the jury to be innocent, especially considering the outcomes of the trial if Annie failed to convince her fellow jury to vote 'not guilty'.However, what I do like about this movie is the incredible cast.
Demi Moore, Alec Baldwin, Anne Heche and Joseph Gorden-Levitt are all really good in their roles.
My favourite part in this story is when The Teacher (Alec Baldwin) asks Annie (Demi Moore)when they are in the woods, whether she believes that he is capable of giving himself whole-heartedly to love.
I liked Demi moore in A Few Good Men, The Juror, and Ghost.
I recommend this only to very big fans of Demi Moore, James Gandolfini, Alec Baldwin and/or Anne Heche, and possibly huge fans of the genre.
Like a lot of thrillers from those days the movie has a pretty solid cast, with some well known names in it, like Demi Moore, Alec Baldwin, Anne Heche and James Gandolfini.
The juror of the title is Annie Laird (Demi Moore).It seems that The Teacher is not only a hit-man for the boss on trial but also somewhat of a power behind the throne, though we get this information more from claims made by other mafiosi than from what we see of his interaction with them.
This movie about Demi Moore as member of jury on a Mafia trial being intimidated by hit-man to push for a not guilty verdict appear far-fetched, untrue and impossible in reality.
Demi Moore plays Annie Laird, a single mother with a teenage son named Oliver(played by Joseph-Gordon Levitt) who is chosen to serve on the jury of a big mafia trial.
Alec Baldwin plays a mysterious hit man known as "The Teacher", who is hired by the mob to intimidate Annie into insuring that the jury comes back with a not guilty verdict.
Anne Heche is memorable as Annie's best friend Juliet,as is James Gandolfini as a mob associate.Though features good actors trying their best, and is surprisingly 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..
The always steady Alec Baldwin gives a fine performance and Demi Moore is very believable in her role.
When the trial is over, he can't let her go...There are two big problems with this movie, they should have trimmed the ending by at least ten minutes, and Baldwin should not have got his motivation from the T-1000.There are times when he is so autonomous, you can almost hear the mechanics grinding in the background, which is a shame, because in the first act, he is really convincing, but when we find out he's the Teacher, it's as if he's expecting the audience to want him go that little more Psychotic.Moore is as good as she always is, convincing as the parent who is worried for her son's well being.
I'll confess to being more a fan of Heche than Moore, but I think my argument is supported by examining the roles and quality of work done by each woman in the years after The Juror.Annie Laird (Demi Moore) is a sculptress and single mother to Oliver (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who essentially talks her way onto the jury of a major Mafia trial.
She succeeds, only to find that the twisted romantic obsession of "Teacher" is far more dangerous than any aspect of organized crime.Putting aside Moore's deficiencies as the star of the show, this is a pretty good flick up until and ending that goes over-the-top and all the way to Guatemala.
And in the relationships between "Teacher" and other mobsters, Tally defuses the super-villain aura around his bad guy and makes him both more believable and more frightening because of that.And when Moore is able to play Annie as a strong and defiant person, her strengths as an actress shine through.
Exciting thriller about a woman on jury duty who is threatened by the mob to make sure that the jury votes for acquittal.Demi Moore is the juror with conviction, that is to save her young son who is threatened.
As the villain, Alec Baldwin gets to chew the scenery at times, but at other moments he gives his role an almost disturbing complexity; when he tells Demi's character that he loves her, despite the monstrous things he has done, you believe him.
A deglamorized Demi Moore is convincing, and then we have James Gandolfini as Baldwin's family-man associate, Anne Heche as Moore's best friend, Tony Lo Bianco as a Mafia boss, and others in smaller parts.
"The Juror" is a well paced suspenseful film,with great performances from the two main actors, Alec Baldwin,and Demi Moore.the supporting cast includes Anne Heche,James Gandolfini and a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt.Demi Moore Plays Annie Laird,mother to Oliver,(Levitt)and also a juror juror in a high profile murder case against a mob leader.Annie is forced by a mob associate to convince the other jurors to render a verdict of non-guilty or her son or others she cares for will be harmed.the problem is,the jury is convinced of the guilt of the mobster and the evidence seems to indicate guilt.I won't say any more about the plot.i will say that what follows is loads of suspense and nail biting tension.Demi Moore is so convincing as the mother who feels helpless and Alec Baldwin is Brilliant as her tormentor.the movie doesn't end the way i thought it would(and i mean that in a good way)instead offering up a few twists i wasn't expecting right up until the final moments.A terrificly entertaining film,which relies (very successfully) on suspense and great performances.
A representative of the mob, Alex Baldwin, contacts a juror, Demi Moore, in a murder case against mob boss Tony Lo Bianco.
Brian Gibson's "The Juror" based on a novel by George Dawes Green falls in the category of forgettable average films even though it stars a cast of very talented performers like Demi Moore, Alec Baldwin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Heche and James Gandolfini.
Demi Moore stars as a sculptor names Annie Laird who's been assigned to stand as a juror on the trial of a hardened Mafia crime boss, only to fell her life and her young son Oliver (Joseph Gordon Levitt)are in jeopardy.
I'm not condemning Moore or Baldwin in any way; they give a good performances in what's given to them, but the motives between the leading hero and villain just don't hit the right cords.
You begin to notice that there's something very strange in the film after the person big shot Mafia bigwig Louie Boffano aka the big Spaghetti-O , Tony La Bianco, whom Juror #1 Annie Lierd, Demi Moore, was blackmailed into getting off on a murder charge got acquitted.
The guy doing most of the blackmailing is Vincent "The Teacher", Alec Baldwin, who freelances as a hit-man for the Boffano Family between affairs with those, women of course, whom he's blackmailing like Annie.
If you have two hours to kill (or whack, in the mob nomenclature), then feel free to watch The Juror, a brain-dead thriller that is best witnessed on TV (you don't have to pay for it and you can pretty-much tell when the cussing, sex, and bloodletting are being snipped out).It's an easy synopsis, here--mob boss orders a hit, Alec Baldwin carries it out, there's a trial, Demi Moore gets threatened in order to keep her from voting "guilty," biff-boom-bang.
By the end, there are lots of bullet holes in the bad guys, Moore has turned from cutesy artist to Dirty Harriet, and, if you're an Anne Heche or Alec Baldwin fan, you are wondering if you should rent this nonsense to see what all happened in the sack.
Boffano did not like the way Annie looked at him after the verdict was read and wants Teacher to take her out.
The problem with 'The Juror' is that his target is so stupid that we don't sense that he has to work very hard.Her name is Annie (Demi Moore) and she is happily serving on a jury in which a mafia godfather is on trial for murder.
He is called The Teacher and is played well by Alec Baldwin who manages to turn in good performances in bad movies.
Naturally, The Teacher informs Annie that all she has to do is say two little words - Not Guilty or bad things will befall her and those around her especially her son.The movie goes on and on and on even after the trial is over.