We have talked about Juror #2 here at Last Movie Outpost, how Warner Bros. didn’t want to release it in the cinema, even though it is mostly likely Clint Eastwood’s last movie. Is it a good movie? Yes, with a “but”.
Juror #2 stars Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, J. K. Simmons, Kiefer Sutherland, Zoey Deutch, Megan Mieduch, Adrienne C. Moore, Leslie Bibb, Drew Schied and Bria Brimmer. Eastwood directs and Jonathan A. Abrams writes.
The Story
I thought this felt like 12 Angry Men if you order it from Temu. That’s a little unfair, but there is an issue with the story. The official blurb is:
While serving as a juror in a high-profile murder trial, a family man finds himself struggling with a serious moral dilemma, one he could use to sway the jury verdict and potentially convict or free the wrong killer.
Justin Kemp (Hoult) is summoned for jury duty. His wife is expecting, but you can’t turn down jury duty, and he gets chosen for the case.
The case is of a man who’s accused of killing his girlfriend. At a bar, the couple got into a fight, she stormed off and later turned up dead. It seems pretty obvious that the boyfriend did it, apart from one thing.
*Spoiler Warning*
This is a spoiler, but it takes place in the first 20 minutes and is pivotal to the story. It turns out that Justin was at the same bar, the same night. While he was driving home, he hit some and thought it was just a deer. It wasn’t. It was the young lady and the boyfriend got the blame.
This, to me, was pretty stupid. The chances of him being on that jury for that one case must be miniscule. This did annoy me, and it’s the entire premise of the movie. The good thing is the movie got better.
The Rest Of The Story
The rest of Juror #2 is about the conflict that Justin has with possibly sending an innocent man to jail. This was a bit of an issue, because I felt like Justin just wasn’t clever enough to argue against the other jurors.
In 12 Angry Men, Henry Fonda isn’t the smartest guy, but he is able to argue the point of the case. He used simple logic to get to the bottom of the man’s guilt. It’s very clever but simple at the same time. In Juror #2, I just didn’t feel like Justin was clever enough, especially with what the case was about.
I stuck it out, and the story did improve. As events go on, even Faith Killebrew (Collette), the prosecuting attorney thinks she might be in the wrong. The ending of the movie is a good one and I’ve played it out in my head a few times.
The Cast
It was funny to see Hoult and Collette together again, they had starred in About a Boy back in 2002 when Hoult was just a young lad. He’s certainly grown since then and I like the career he’s had. I’m looking forward to seeing him in Nosferatu.
Collette is one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood at the moment. To me, if she’s in a movie, it’s got to have some credibility. Her movies are more than interesting.
The rest of the cast is good, but then, when you have a director like Eastwood you’re going to see them at their best. The entire movie is well-made. It is just that opening spoiler that I had an issue with.
Eastwood
Eastwood has made some incredible movies in his career, both in front of the camera, behind it, and sometimes both. He is well into his 90s now. It’s a horrible thing to think about, but he’s not got long left.
Will Juror #2 be one of the bigger movies he will be remembered for? Probably not. It was a shame it never went into the cinemas, as I imagine it would have been a good experience.
Nothing is outstanding about the direction, but it is the kind of film that calls for focus on the actors. This is the main thing about Juror #2. It’s a simple movie, but one that requires the actors and a compelling story to carry it.
Overall
I like a courtroom drama and this is a good one. If you can let go of the opening spoiler then you’re in for a good movie. In fact, I was impressed that I was still invested in the story even though I was annoyed by that coincidence.
The ending? Chef’s kiss. I love it when a movie sits with you for a little while afterwards, and you question what could happen.
Juror #2 is a good movie, not a great one, but a good one. I’m going to give it a solid 3.5 out of 5 stars. If you like courtroom dramas you’ll like this. It’s a good thriller for a couple of hours, and it is now available on streaming.