I hate courtroom dramas. Seriously, I really hate them (apart from My Cousin Vinny). Just keep the damn movies out of the courtroom, OK?
It didn’t spark my enthusiasm pants when I found out the possible last film from director Clint Eastwood would be a courtroom drama. I wanted to see him back in the Old West, with people growling and shooting, for a swan song. Nope.
Sorry, Mr. Eastwood; I underestimated you. Your latest, Juror #2, is an awesome courtroom drama, and if it happens to be your last film, it’s a career capper that stands among your more enjoyable films.
How about that Nicholas Hoult, huh? This is the year of the Hoult. Not only is he terrific here as the title character; he’s great in The Order and, oh holy shit, he’s amazing in Nosferatu. (That’s a little preview of my soon-to-come review.) Yeah, he was also the voice of Jon in The Garfield Movie, but we’ll let that one slide.
Hoult emotionally destroys as Justin Kemp, a father-to-be who does his darndest to get out of jury duty to tend to his very pregnant wife, Allison (an excellent Zoey Deutch). Despite his efforts, he winds up taking a seat on a homicide trial. He wants to get the trial over with so he can get home fast—but he can’t help but see a hint of innocence in the defendant’s case.
The film becomes a sort of 12 Angry Men with a twist, one that I won’t ruin here. Needless to say, it’s not a quick trial, and Justin finds himself in a moral dilemma with multiple dimensions.
Hoult delivers a powerful, nuanced performance in the hands of Eastwood, who has assembled a worthy cast around Hoult. Toni Collette is her typical great self as an attorney looking for a conviction to propel her political career. J.K. Simmons is great as another juror who starts to have his doubts alongside Justin. Chris Messina, Cedric Yarbrough and Leslie Bibb all deliver notable work.
Eastwood’s efforts have been inconsistent in the last 17 years or so. He’s delivered a couple of decent films (Sully, Richard Jewell) and a lot of stinkers (Invictus, Cry Macho, Jersey Boys, J. Edgar and Hereafter, to name a few). Juror #2 is his best film since his World War II double feature (Letters From Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers) back in 2006.
Eastwood’s films over the last two decades have often been sloppy and languid, and Juror #2 breaks that trend with a focused, well-paced narrative alongside Hoult’s powerhouse work. Eastwood’s soundtracks often include some of his not-so-great piano noodling, but he stays away from that here and just kills it with the narrative.
Juror #2 is a true end-of-the-year surprise, a courtroom drama that is unpredictable and tensely paced—something notable from one of the old masters. Hoult probably won’t get an Academy Award, and neither will Eastwood (the competition at the top will be a little fierce), but this will act as a nice trampoline into the next phase of Hoult’s career, and it’s a solid possible finale for Clint Eastwood. It’s so much better than his previous film, Cry Macho. I’m thinking this movie happened because of how bad Cry Macho was. Eastwood needed to wrap it up with a good one.
On a final note, I still hate courtroom dramas. This is a rare exception, so don’t go thinking I endorse the genre.
Juror #2 is available via various streaming services.