Movie Review - Final verdict of ‘Juror #2’: a compelling courtroom drama

So did you know that acclaimed filmmaker Clint Eastwood directed and released a film last year? Not many people did since it had a really small theatrical release and was eventually released on the Max streaming service.

‘Juror #2’ follows family man Justin Kemp 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.

This Clint Eastwood courtroom drama is a very compelling, character-driven film that is very thought-provoking.

‘Juror #2’ shows that, despite being the age of 94, Eastwood can still make a decent film. Now, granted this film isn’t nearly as great as some of his previous directorial efforts, such as ‘Unforgiven,’ ‘Million Dollar Baby,’ ‘Mystic River,’ ‘American Sniper,’ … the list goes on. But, Eastwood can really make a tense little courtroom drama.

A good portion of the film focuses on the lead character, Justin Kemp (played by Nicholas Hault) who’s the titular Juror #2 in this trial. Kemp is going through a small moral dilemma since he may have something to do with the young woman who was found dead and is the subject of the ongoing trial. Some of this was actually spoiled in the film’s trailer and would’ve been slightly more effective if it was left out of the trailer.

There are also a few moments in the film that can be a little on the predictable side. Yet, Eastwood is one of the few directors that can make a slightly predictable story feel tense and fresh. When the plot does thicken around the half-way point, you can actually begin to wonder whether the man who’s on trial for killing the young woman is innocent or not.

‘Juror #2’ also delivers a few little twists and turns to the story, especially as the film gets to the second half. If you really enjoy either courtroom dramas and/or love films by Clint Eastwood, I highly recommend you stream the film on Max or rent it at various PVOD services.

Cast: Nicholas Hault (Justin Kemp); Zoey Deutch (Allison Crewson); Toni Collette (Faith Killebrew); J.K. Simmons (Harold Chicowski); Chris Messina (Eric Resnick); Gabriel Besso (James Michael Sythe); Leslie Bibb (Denice Aldworth); Kiefer Sutherland (Larry Lasker); Amy Aquino (Judge Thelma Hollub)

Writer/director: Jonathan A. Adams (writer); Clint Eastwood (director) (Cry Macho; Richard Jewell; The Mule; The 15:17 To Paris; Sully; American Sniper)

Trivia: Production of the film began in June 2023 when Eastwood was 93, before it was suspended in July due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Production resumed in November upon the conclusion of the strike. ‘Juror #2’ premiered as the closing film of the 38th edition of the film festival AFI Fest on October 27, 2024. It’s rumored that this film could be the final film that Eastwood will direct.

Warner Brothers envisioned the film as a direct to streaming release on Max. But, due to positive test reactions and responses to the trailer, the studio gave it a theatrical release of only 50 theaters. Honestly, if this film had a standard moderate/wide release, it could’ve done decent at the box office. 

Where to find the movie? You can either rent the film at various PVOD services or stream it on Max.

‘Juror #2’ is rated PG-13 for some violent images and strong language  (running time 114 minutes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czYUXo0R0oA