JUROR #2 (MAX) (2024)

SYNOPSIS: “Juror #2” follows family man Justin Kemp (Hoult) who, while serving as a juror in a high profile murder trial, finds himself struggling with a serious moral dilemma…one he could use to sway the jury verdict and potentially convict—or free—the accused killer. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

Nosferatu, The Order and now this. Let’s not talk about Garfield the Movie where he voiced Jon. Former child actor Nicholas Hoult truly has the best year in 2024. We guess it’s also a very big deal for anyone to be cast in cinematic living legend, Clint Eastwood’s last movie.

With a heavily pregnant wife at home, Hoult plays Justin, a recovering alcoholic writer who has been chosen to be part of the juror team of a high-profile murder case. Kendall, the girlfriend of James Michael Sythe (Gabriel Basso), a former drug peddler of sorts was found dead at the bottom of a bridge. Prior to that, they were found to be squabbling at a bar.

Then a flashback which is set in a rainy night tells us that Justin is also at the bar on the same night where the supposedly murder took place. Justin looks sad, distracted perhaps and while driving, he thought he hit a deer which in this case, might be Kendall although the movie didn’t specifically shows or states it is her or a deer.

So is Justin the real “murderer” or is he not?

The movie is as much a character drama as it is a legal, morality tale detailing the nature of truth and the selfishness of human beings. Perplexing questions abound as audiences are led to explore the truth as a politically ambitious prosecutor, Killebrew (Toni Collette) is bent on getting justice for the victim while Sythe’s lawyer, Resnick (Chris Messina) believes his client is innocent. Even a retired Chicago police detective turned florist, Harold (J.K. Simmons) believes it’s more of a case of hit-and-run than a cold-blooded murder.

Juror #2 promises lots of courtroom drama and dilemma. The screenplay spends most of its screen time on the various jurors as they argue if Sythe deserves a not-guilty verdict. Those accustomed to Eastwood’s movies will be familiar with his flair for flat visuals and straight-forward storytelling and the script by Jonathan Abrams does just that. No fancy twists, turns and violent happenings.

Like a vintage episode of Matlock, Juror #2 is both thought-provoking and engaging. Hoult and Collette is excellent in the leading roles and Eastwood again efficiently delivers the goods in his usual old school ways. While there were some disagreements over Warner Bros decision to pull this out of a wide theatrical release, we feel streaming might be the best platform given the title lacks a mass appeal despite being a taut legal drama.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee