PLOT: A recovering alcoholic on a jury faces a moral dilemma when he realizes he might be the key to the murder case he’s been selected for.
REVIEW: Juror #2 has recently generated headlines more for its unceremonious dumping by Warner Bros. than for its content. Once seen as a potential awards contender, the film has been dropped in about 50 theaters in the U.S. with the bare minimum of marketing (Warners has even reportedly stated it’s not going to announce the film’s box office take at the end of opening weekend). To be sure, even this New York-based reviewer could only find a handful of theaters showing the Clint Eastwood movie, strange indeed considering the filmmaker’s legacy. Perhaps we’ll learn more about the whys of this case soon, but having seen it for myself the answer could be simple: it’s just not the kind of movie audiences flock to anymore.
Considering the director is 94 years old, it’s fitting that Juror #2 is as old-fashioned as it gets. A courtroom drama without violence, nudity or even foul language, it’s the type of film that was a regular at the cinema decades ago, but is now a unicorn at the multiplex. It’s a movie for people who say, “they just don’t make ‘em like that anymore.” Well, Mr. Eastwood does.
And while it’s heartening to see that A-listers are still making “adult dramas,” the truth of the matter is Juror #2 is indeed more suited for the small screen. It’s an intimate morality tale about a man who must decide the fate of several lives, including his own, but it’s missing anything in the way of fireworks or standout sequences. It’s sturdy, but unremarkable; its biggest transgression is that it’s almost too placid. Juror #2 has a compelling hook and a handful of solid scenes and performances, but a total lack of suspense holds it back.
Nicholas Hoult stars as Justin Kemp, a recovering alcoholic who writes seemingly humdrum features for lifestyle magazines. He leads a simple life that’s about to get a lot more complicated: his wife (Zoey Deutch) is nearing the end of her pregnancy. Unfortunate for Justin, he’s just been picked to be a juror for a high-profile murder case involving ex-drug dealer James Sythe (Gabriel Basso) who allegedly killed his girlfriend (Clint’s daughter Francesca Eastwood) after a violent argument in a bar. As he hears the details of the case, Justin begins to realize he was at the bar that very night – and he might’ve inadvertently been involved with the young woman’s death.
Juror #2 unfolds like a John Grisham paperback drama from the 90s, and to be sure there’s a juicy quandary at the center of the tale: Does Justin simply go along with his fellow jurors who think Sythe is clearly guilty, or does he attempt to sway them into a not guilty verdict – which would alleviate his own guilt without making it necessary to confess to his culpability in the incident. Much of the movie takes place in the jury room and fans of films like 12 Angry Men will enjoy the array of colorful (though stereotypical) characters who gradually reveal their own prejudices. But Eastwood allows himself to coast on the script’s simplicity without adding much tension or mystery. We know the facts of the case (and Justin’s involvement) very early on, so the film rarely dredges up any genuine suspense. And while you root for Justin to do the right thing, he’s not such an interesting character that we’re clinging to his every decision. Juror #2 is intriguing, but never captivating, and it’s begging for a late game twist that simply never comes. (I will give it kudos for a terrific final scene. however.) If nothing else, Eastwood and screenwriter Jonathan Abrams want to put you in the protagonist’s shoes and ask yourself how you’d navigate this very unique dilemma, which is a fine exercise but not something that elevates the movie into something more than an adequate two hour drama.
Helping the movie’s cause is the cast; there are many good actors here to command our attention. Hoult is in fine form as a man trying to keep his anxiety in check for the entirety of the film, his calm demeanor always seemingly on the verge of breaking down completely. Toni Collette (reuniting with Hoult 22 years after About a Boy!) gives a strong performance as the prosecutor who sees the case as a slam dunk… until she doesn’t. Deutch adds a sympathetic touch to a pretty standard housebound wife role. JK Simmons has fun as one of the jurors who thinks something is amiss with the whole thing, and perhaps most strikingly, Cedric Yarbrough, usually known for comedic roles (Reno 911! fans will recognize him as Deputy Jones), is a thoroughly gripping presence as a juror who takes the case quite personally.
While Warner Bros. almost certainly owes it to Clint Eastwood to give his movie a proper release (he’s been making the studio money for decades), Juror #2 just doesn’t have the ingredients it takes to become a theatrical hit, so one grudgingly has to admit that WB is probably making the wise decision with its minuscule release; it may ultimately find its audience when it inevitably winds up on Max. The filmmaker’s fans may appreciate the film’s unrushed pace and simple pleasures, but it’s a minor work in a long, exemplary filmography.
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