Fleder's direction confirms the impression left by his previous films, Don't Say a Word and Kiss the Girls among them, that he's a hack.
– Charles Taylor,
Salon.com,
22 Oct 2003
fresh:
In spite of its cheesy plot twists, thoroughly second-rate direction, and criminally wasted ensemble, Runaway Jury adds up to a nice little gotcha! courtroom melodrama.
– David Edelstein,
Slate,
22 Oct 2003
rotten:
As in all his films, there's a sense that honest human emotion bores Fleder, but he gets points for packing the trial with fine character actors, all of them adept at wringing humor and poignancy from cliche.
– Chuck Wilson,
L.A. Weekly,
22 Oct 2003
rotten:
A lot of famous faces populate the courtroom in this overplotted and farfetched tale of jury-tampering, but they and the horse they rode in on are all so mired in illogical, head-scratching incoherence, they need lawyers of their own.
– Rex Reed,
New York Observer,
23 Oct 2003
fresh:
[T]his film ranks just below The Firm and The Client on the list of John Grisham-inspired thrillers, thumbs up.