REVIEW: ‘Juror #2’ Shows Clint Eastwood Has Still Got It

Juror #2 has had an unusual road to release. Ostensibly the final film by acting/filmmaking legend Clint Eastwood, although some reports indicate that may no longer be true, Juror #2′s wide release significantly cut down to a minuscule number of theaters nationwide. Now that the film is on Max, the streaming service‘s subscribers can witness a titan of American cinema’s possible swan song. What a relief that is. Eschewing aesthetic flash, Juror #2 is a classically compelling drama that thrives off of impeccable staging and layered performances.

Justin Kemp (Nicolas Hoult) is a journalist who spends every hour not out chasing the next big scoop taking care of his pregnant wife (Zoey Deutch). The American Justice System causes Kemp to leave his comfortable domesticity when called for jury duty. The case he’s assigned to involves determining the involvement of James Michael Scythe (Gabriel Basso) in the death of his girlfriend Kendall Cater (Francesca Eastwood) following a confrontation at a local bar. As the other eleven jurors and himself begin to deliberate, Justin Kemp gets a sinking feeling: he may have been responsible for Kendall’s death.

By hitching itself to such an ingenious concept, the script for Juror #2 starts on a baseline of high intrigue. Writer Jonathan Abrams crafts a slow-burn narrative where the walls close in on Nicolas Hoult’s character as he tries to deftly maneuver the deliberation process so that an innocent man doesn’t go to jail while also covering his misdeeds. Trying to negotiate that balance is a troubling moral dilemma that Nicolas Hoult always carries on his face.

We’ve never really seen Nicolas Hoult perform to this level until Juror #2.

His Justin Kemp is a man of a brittle facade, so wound tight that he seems ready to confess if someone prods him just enough. It’s a real actor’s gauntlet that pairs nicely with his excellent work in Nosferatu and inspires hope for his villainous turn in the upcoming Superman.

Director Clint Eastwood’s portrayal of the court system is an interesting one for him. As a filmmaker, Eastwood’s later-period work, such as American Sniper and The 15:17 to Paris, has been characterized as uncritically patriotic. His tone here feels like a pivot; his view of the court system is more cynical. Clint Eastwood and Jonathan Abrams appreciate the idea of a trial by jury, represented by a cast of jurors who seem like upstanding citizens in their own right.

However, the appreciation is met by contempt for the context of the jury trial. The lead prosecutor, Faith Killebrew (Toni Collette), appears only to have taken on the case to advance her political career. Moreover, Justin Kemp’s manipulation of the jury to steer it in specific ways shows the system’s fallibility.

Juror #2 exhibits a curiosity and skepticism that add layers

Ultimately, Juror #2 works because it isn’t about the deliberation. Instead, Juror #2 examines karmic justice and how a moral failing can catch up to you. Justin Kemp isn’t the devil. From frame one to the end, we’re not even sure that he had anything to do with Kendall Carter’s demise. Yet, Kemp carries with him such a shame and telegraphed guilt that it serves as a magnet. For whom or for what? The inherent sense of carrying out justice is what the good-hearted have within them.

Justin Kemp’s sense of guilt is blood in the water. Clint Eastwood subtly and slowly has the sharks come to circle him. A juror played by J.K. Simmons, who is secretly a detective, loses his spot on the jury due to his private pursuit of the case outside the deliberation room. Cedric Yarbrough‘s juror senses something is fishy and challenges Kemp to fix it. Even the person in the case, for cynical reasons, Toni Collette’s Faith, starts to realize that there’s something more going on. The suspense in Juror #2 builds due to Kemp’s game of deception running counter to the karmic justice coming for him, leaving the audience to wonder which will win out.

The film doesn’t need a flashy grab bag of tricks to compel. Here, we have a great concept, a stunning performer in the lead, and a veteran director who plays everything straight. Sometimes, that’s what makes for the best movies. Juror #2 stands out in the 2024 film landscape for committing to being an adult drama intended to spark conversation.

Clint Eastwood is a filmmaker whose career has gone through peaks and valleys, but one thing’s for sure: when it comes down to it, he understands the fundamentals of telling a strong story, and Juror #2 shows he has not lapsed in his old age.

Juror #2 is now streaming on Max.