“Juror #2” Review

Director Clint Eastwood has become such a master of his craft that I have held him to a higher degree for his many films. To be blunt, his past few films have not impressed me as much. His double-duty films of Cry Macho and The Mule felt lukewarm for the material explored, while the biographical dramas of The 15:17 to Paris and Richard Jewell seemed to contort more than explore. But Juror #2 is a completely original script where Eastwood stands out of view from the camera and flexes his directing muscles once more, showcasing that he still has cinematic strength at the age of 94.

The premise is an intriguing courtroom drama from the perspective of the jury. A case of murder has called in Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult) to be a juror despite his plea to be taken off the trial for having a child on the way with his wife, Ally (Zoey Deutch). Justin was initially chosen because he hadn’t heard much about the case and would be impartial. As the case proceeds, however, he starts to realize he’s a key suspect that nobody realizes. The murder victim was a woman found dead on the side of the road, presumed murdered by her boyfriend. Justin recalls driving home that night on the same road when it was raining and hitting something. Complex emotions and terror start running through the mind of an accidental murderer, fearful of ruining his life, especially for being a recovering alcoholic who was at a bar right before the hit.

Trying to peel back the layers of this case are a host of interesting characters. Toni Collette has a remarkable presence as Assistant District Attorney Faith Killebrew, hoping for a guilty verdict to look good as she moves up to the ranks. Kiefer Sutherland has a conniving brilliance as Justin’s Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor, stressing that Justin will be found guilty if he comes forward with this information. Digging deeper into the case is J. K. Simmons as Harold, a juror who soon reveals himself as a former detective and does some investigating of his own. Combined with the devoted defending lawyer of Chris Messina as Eric Resnick, Justin can the tension surrounding him as he tries to cover up the truth of this case, where the accused killer, James (Gabriel Basso) could serve time for a crime he didn’t commit.

We spend enough time with the characters and the courtroom process that there’s never a moment where one gets lost in the complexity. The robust pacing is due in no small part to Eastwood’s penchant for shooting and editing, revealing just enough key information as the film progresses. The fateful night is divulged slowly, coupled with Justin’s recollection and the anguish his guilt. That flow makes everything from Harold pulling up car records to Faith interviewing potential suspects all the more intense for waiting to see if the truth will ever be discovered. It also makes the passages from the frustrated juror Marcus (Cedric Yarbrough) so chilling, where he can almost smell the guilt on Justin despite the desire to find James guilty.

The film doesn’t hold back in scrutinizing the justice system while still being procedural in its flow. Lest one thinks that Eastwood has softened his views on crime to the cozy conservative notion of courts holding a lawful balance, this is not a film that ends on a simplistic note of truth prevailing. There’s a viciousness to how easily corrupted justice can become with the swirling of cultural perceptions and safe-your-own-ass egotism. Someone struggling to get their life together is more likely to send an innocent man to jail than answer for their crimes, perhaps even arguing that the accused probably deserved it. That rationality becomes a haunting factor in Justin’s life, and doubt clouds his mind forever.

Juror #2 is one of Clint Eastwood’s finest films for how expertly he weaves a courtroom drama. With a stellar script by Jonathan Abrams, there’s a biting nature to how the legal intrigue is never presented as morally grounded or assuringly competent. The cerebral dissection of politics in this film is masterfully composed to a degree where there’s always something more going on beyond the surface of whether or not Justin will get caught. Where other courtroom dramas feel like a sports flick of who wins, This film holds greater thematic importance beyond who won the case. There are technically winners in this film, but they are hollow victories for the injustice that has trapped them. I was not expecting that level of societal contemplation from Clint, proving that this director can still stun with the right script.