In this legal-thriller based on the novel by John Grisham, several people involved in a court case against a gun manufacturer attempt to manipulate the jury for different reasons. Featuring a full-screen transfer that has been formatted to fit a standard television screen (a widescreen version was released simultaneously), the DVD for director Gary Fleder's Runaway Jury also allows viewers to select the original English soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound or French and Spanish dubbed Dolby Digital Stereo tracks. Along with English, Spanish, and French subtitles, the disc boasts a number of bonus features. Offering a glimpse into the making of the film, Fleder provides optional feature-length audio commentary, while stars Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman lend their voices to shorter scene-specific commentary tracks. For additional behind-the-scenes experiences, five featurettes are included, covering such areas of production as acting, cinematography, and editing. Finally, to see what landed on the cutting room floor, viewers are treated to a selection of deleted scenes that can be played with or without audio commentary by Fleder.
A Civil Action legislates onto single-layered DVD with a widescreen letterbox picture format (1.85:1) and the following audio options: English (Dolby Digital 5.1) and French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), with closed captioning also included. Special features include a "making of" documentary/featurette and the usual original theatrical trailers. The picture is extraordinarily clear and detailed, with natural flesh tones and precise shading. Sound is powerfully enhanced with 1.LFE but has a distracting bass hum throughout the film that muffles the dialog and the music.