At 94 years old, Clint Eastwood is still going strong. While speculation has run rampant about his future, the legendary star hasn’t said anything about Juror #2, his 40th feature as a director, being his swan song. And if it is, that would be fine. It’s a solidly entertaining thriller that won’t necessarily hurt Eastwood’s storied career. You probably won’t remember Juror # 2 in the long run, but can still contemplate its unique moral dilemma in the moment.
Nicholas Hoult stars as Justin Kemp, a writer doing puff-piece magazine articles, who is given jury duty at the worst possible time. His wife, Ally (Zoey Deutch), is days away from giving birth to their first child and she needs him at home. Who else is going to do stuff like building the crib, and fetching ice chips for her? Of course, Justin does what most of us do which is try to worm his way out of serving, but it wouldn’t be much of a movie if that worked, would it?
At least the case Justin caught is an interesting one. A murder trial, the accused is a man (Gabriel Basso) who allegedly argued with his girlfriend Kendall (Francesca Eastwood, Clint’s daughter) at a bar, then followed her out, brutally beat her to death, and tossed her body off a bridge in the pouring rain. There’s a big problem, though, because Justin, upon hearing the opening statements, begins to realize that he was there in that bar the same night…and he might’ve had something to do with her death.
So what’s a guy to do? Does he come clean and admit to something that may or may not have happened? It might get him thrown in jail at a time when he’s needed at home. Or, does he keep quiet, and possibly let an innocent man be found guilty?
The question is whether Justin should trust the system or not? Toni Collette and Chris Messina argue opposing sides of the case, and they are compromised by outside factors, too. Collette’s prosecutor has political ambitions and needs a conviction to help her election. But Messina’s defense attorney, who has grown cynical about the justice system over the years, believes in his client’s innocence for the first time in too long.
So this whole situation is pretty far out there and sounds like a particularly outrageous episode of The Practice. But Eastwood doesn’t play that. He keeps his direction focused, neat, and clean, giving his actors room to breathe. As an actor himself, Eastwood knows how to guide his stars so they can flesh out their characters with the minimum of exposition. Hoult is believable as a man torn apart by his sense of right and wrong, plus his duty to his family. Further complicating things is Justin’s past, as he is a recovering alcoholic and knows people won’t be inclined to believe him, even though he’s been doing the right thing.
The second half of the movie resembles 12 Angry Men and Runaway Jury, as Justin tries to convince the other jurors of the man’s innocence, while not looking guilty himself. The depiction of the jurors is comical and, if accurate, paints an unfortunate picture of our court system. Most of the jurors just want to go home, even if that means an innocent man goes to jail. The plot contrivances are thick. Most of these people would never have gotten through the selection process. In the case of JK Simmons’ character, he deliberately withholds crucial information about himself, and then goes on an investigative quest that ropes in Justin. You have to believe Collette and Messina are the least capable attorneys ever that these folks got through.
Collette’s role expands the further we get into Juror # 2, and she’s reliably great as a prosecutor who trusts in Lady Justice, but is clouded by her own ambitions. Despite the extreme nature of the plot and the nagging feeling this circus case should be thrown out, Collette, Hoult, and Eastwood keep the film grounded. You can drive a truck through some of the plotholes, but if you can shut yourself off to them and trust in Eastwood’s steady, workmanlike direction and the performances of his stars, Juror # 2 is an enjoyable morality tale. If this is truly Eastwood’s last movie, it’s far from his worst but hardly comes close to his best.
Warner Bros. releases Juror #2 in theaters on November 1st.
