kagreenizen I am a self-professed Law&Order/police and law procedural junkie. I am also a BBC-ophile; and though I confess to having found out about this miniseries because I looked up Gerard Butler's profile, I recognized many, many of the actors from years of watching Brit cinema and television.I would have watched it because of the subject matter. I would happily have watched it because of the magnificent cast. Either reason is enough, but the brilliance and realism of the writing drew me right into the experience as well. I found myself having conversations with the screen during key scenes with several characters.Derek Jacobi is mesmerizing as the defense QC; Mark Maloney as the jury foreman and Nicholas Farrell as the juror who lost everything playing the market were very effecting; I think, though, that for sheer emotional power that this is Gerard Butler's finest performance to date. I have seen many of his other roles and he's very fine, but this role shows more dimension and emotive depth than his usual hero/warriors. Mark Strong and Helen McRory are also splendid as a married couple with problems. I could continue with praise for the entire cast, I didn't see a poor or superfluous performance among them.I have tried strenuously to avoid spoilers.... I just hate that need to ruin it for the next person! If you love good writing and acting, this is worth the trouble to track it down.

nk44ab I found this series brilliant. The sensitive acting and timing were unusually spectacular. Gerard Butler(Johnnie Donne) was exceptionally convincing as the recovering alcoholic.He has personal experience of this and it must have taken huge courage to play this character as he has admitted that it was a very dark period in his life. Well done Gerry. He gathers belief in himself as the trial progresses and is shown to be the strongest of the jurors and the most factual. He carries a lot of the weight of the series with his perceptive interaction with Derek Jacobi who is in prime form as the defending council. Rose(Helen McCory) is sympathetic and portrays real emotional energy in her delicate handling of the at first fragile Johnnie. All the other characters lent weight and credence to this series I have seldom seen better. Tim Healey lends charm and cheekiness with his practical advice and fatherly treatment of Johnnie. Overall this one could be an anytime any place series as this situation unfortunately still exists. It should be shown again as there is a lot to learn from the doubts and fears of racism and our present day attitudes need redress.

Piafredux Despite its fine acting 'The Jury' is just one more program/script driven by the twin Leftist (or Marxisant) orthodoxies of its time: political correctness and so-called "multiculturalism." In this film all the women and non-whites struggle valiantly, and all of them are depicted either as victims of "Eurocentric" white male culture, or as struggling valiantly to overcome their troubles (which, of course, devolve from their having been victimized by white men); and, conversely, all the white men (with the exception of the sensitive one who's working through his priestly vocation or lack thereof) are shown as neurotic, self-absorbed, inept (owing to their inability to see beyond their "whiteness" and maleness and the horrible, oppressive cultures flowing from those two characteristics) muddlers too insensible or witless to see their "issues," let alone to deal decisively or positively with them. Even the recovering alcoholic sod has to pay for the sins of his alcoholism which is, after all - as the Foucaults and gender feminists of the world tell us, a male affliction since men first concocted firewater and they're the ones who swill it and then abuse women while they're under its evil influence. The baleful mother-in-law archetype is absent herein, replaced by the male Jewish juror's veddy British, old school tie, overbearing father-in-law with whose prejudice, inveigling and meddling the muddled juror, of course - according to the PC/Leftist/feminist orthodoxy, cannot deal (his wife, of course, gets it right from the start and never wavers, pillar of feminist strength that she is).The other men in the film are the father of the murdered schoolboy and his thuggish, vengeful male relatives - the lot of them, of course since they're men, being shown to be prejudiced, vindictive, reptilian, and contemptible. And then there are the lawyers, who are mere mouthpieces for orthodox inflammatory buzzwords, gaffes, and provocations: the sort of innuendo and screed which nowadays monotonously accompany wife-abuse and sexual harassment accusations which, quite often without a case's ever going to court, are often sufficient in themselves to ruin men's reputations and careers.In sum: spare me, and the world, 'The Jury's' "postmodern" orthodox sort of preachiness. If I want to see and hear - and endure - this kind of Leftist re-education camp lecturing I can tune into BBC World - at least there, because the anchors and reporters haven't a script or the device of acting to hide behind, I can see the sneers on their permanently upturned lips.

davideo-2 STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All CostsKudos to ITV for the good idea of this six-parter series,which shows we can do it and that it's not just Hollywood that can make this kind of thing work.In Britain (and certain other countries) it's considered every working citizens duty to perform 'jury service'.That is,twelve people (men and women usually these days) from completely different walks of life and with presumably no previous experience of the judicial system must come together to decide the fate of a defendant on trial for a crime.In this case,a 15/16 year old Pakistani student has been accused of hacking his classmate to death in a field.It is a very high profile case which has ignited racial hatred between the White/Asian community,and the series cleverly examines not only the opinions of the jurors,but also how this alien and stressful experience affects their lives outside work.The acting is pretty good stuff.Veteran Derek Jackobi is lively,spirited and ingenuitive as the defence barrister.Plus Anthony Sher is suitably cold and uncompromising as the prosecution.The people on the jury impressively convey the uncertainty and fear that overrides them all.Jack Shepherd is a good character actor,here playing the murdered boy's father,but is given little to do except sit in the courtroom looking tense and agitated.Also,Tim Healy gets to spread his wings and fly in something that isn't another annoying Uno advert.The ending is something of a cop-out ,with a few unexplained matters not being resolved.But it's all acted with such sincerity and dash,with engaging pace and dialogue to match,that you feel compelled to watch it to the end if only to support British big/small screen productions.***