Juror No.2

JUROR NO. 2 (JUROR #2) (15)

D: Clint Eastwood

Warner Bros / Malpaso / Dichotomy (Clint Eastwood, Tim Moore, Jessica Meier, Adam Goodman & Mark Skiena)

US 🇺🇸 2024

114 mins

Drama

W: Jonathan Abrams

DP: Yves Belanger

Ed: Joel Cox & David Cox

Mus: Mark Mancina

Nicholas Hoult (Justin Kemp), Toni Collette (Faith Killebrew), J.K. Simmons (Harold), Chris Messina (Eric Ressnik), Gabriel Basso (James Michael Sythe), Zoey Deutch (Allison Crewson), Cedric Yarborough (Marcus), Kiefer Sutherland (Larry Lasker)

Well into his 90s, screen legend Clint Eastwood directs this courtroom drama, highly reminiscent of the masterful classic “12 Angry Men” from the 1950s.

Nicholas Hoult is the eponymous juror, Justin Kemp, a regular Joe with a heavily pregnant wife, called into jury duty for a case that centred around a man accused of murdering his girlfriend following a fight at a bar.  However, as evidence comes to light, Justin believes that he may be guilty for the woman’s death, as flashback shows he had hit something on the road whilst driving his car distracted during a night of heavy downpour, only to believe it was a deer as he continued on his way.

Unknowingly to the other jurors, he faces a dilemma. Can he let a likely innocent man be sentenced for the crime, or does he come clean to face justice himself?

The set up may be a little contrived, but this is an interesting, dramatic and gripping examination of the American legal system, with Toni Colette’s district attorney seemingly more interested in progressing her career over making sure they’ve got the right man for the crime.

Nicholas Hoult gives an excellent performance as a man coming apart over an internal conflict, and the rest of the ensemble cast are also excellent, in particular Cedric Yarborough as a fellow juror who harbours his own prejudices towards the man on trial, and Zoey Deutch as Justin’s expectant wife.

The film ends on a fitfully ambiguous note, and if this is to be Clint Eastwood’s swan-song, it’s a fine drama to bookend his illustriously successful career.

7/10