Time: 114 Minutes
Cast:
Nicholas Hoult as Justin Kemp
Toni Collette as Faith Killebrew
J. K. Simmons as Harold Chicowski
Chris Messina as Eric Resnick
Gabriel Basso as James Michael Sythe
Zoey Deutch as Allison “Ally” Crewson
Cedric Yarbrough as Marcus King
Leslie Bibb as Denice Aldworth
Kiefer Sutherland as Larry Lasker
Director: Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood’s directed movies can be a little hit or miss sometimes, but I was interested in his latest, Juror #2. I liked the premise, the cast involved, and how it looked from the trailer. Having watched it I wished that it had much more of a wider release in cinemas because it’s worth watching.

Juror #2 is very much one of those old fashioned straightforward courtroom dramas that you’d see in the 90s. It is fairly conventional, but makes the most from its simple premise. While the pacing is deliberate and it’s a very contemplative movie, it’s also gripping and riveting from beginning to end. It’s got a layered and morally gray story, and is an examination of guilt and doing the right thing, while also being an indictment of the broken American justice system. The ending will definitely divide some people, it intentionally leaves things for the audience to interpret for themselves, but it worked fine for me. My only criticism is that it felt like there should’ve been an additional scene or two in the third act.

This movie also benefits from a stacked cast. Nicholas Hoult is fantastic and delivers one of his very best performances, bringing such depth and believability to his protagonist. The supporting cast is also strong, from Toni Collette as the prosecutor, to the rest of the actors in J.K. Simmons, Chris Messina, Zoey Deutch, Cedric Yarbrough, and Kiefer Sutherland.

Clint Eastwood’s direction is very solid. As per Eastwood, it doesn’t look that visually stunning, but the simple camera placements, framing, blocking choices, shots and movements are both efficient and achieve what they need to. 

Juror #2 is a compelling, layered, and well written and directed courtroom drama thriller with great performances, especially from a fantastic Nicholas Hoult. I think it’s one of Clint Eastwood’s best films in a while, and it would be a good swan song for Clint Eastwood if this really ends up being his final movie.