Dir: Clint Eastwood
Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, J. K. Simmons, Chris Messina, Zoey Deutch, Kiefer Sutherland
It may be simple and understated but putting together this morally ambiguous courtroom drama is an impressive feat for the 94-year-old Clint Eastwood
As we now find ourselves well into the 21st century, the Hollywood golden era has become a distant memory. Amidst an array of talented young filmmakers, there are only a handful of the old guard that remain, still managing to churn out theatrical releases on a regular basis. Two of the most inspirational examples being the icons that are Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, who despite their advanced ages of 77 and 82 respectively, have managed to adapt with the forever changing cinematic landscape. Both acclaimed directors still manage to produce quality pictures to this very day, with both receiving Academy Award nominations at the most recent Oscars ceremony earlier this year, Spielberg for a producing credit on “Maestro” and Scorsese for producing and directing “Killers of the Flower Moon”.
Another iconic filmmaker, who as not quite achieved the same legacy behind the camera as he has in front of it, is actor-turned-director Clint Eastwood. Despite having won two Academy Awards for directing, for “Unforgiven” (1992) and “Million Dollar Baby” (2004), Eastwood is surprisingly overlooked when it comes to discussions surrounding the greatest ever directors. At 94-years-old, I feel the veteran deserves more credit for his filmmaking abilities, as he has proven time and time again to be as competent in the director’s chair as he has on screen, if not more so. Dating back to his debut directorial feature, “Play Misty for Me” in 1971, Eastwood has directed a staggering 40 motion pictures, and while he may lack the visual flair of his industry colleagues, he consistently produces solid movie-going experiences.
Eastwood’s latest, and potentially final movie, “Juror #2”, is an old-school court-based drama, which has gone pretty unnoticed since its theatrical release a few weeks ago. If released back in the mid-nineties, Eastwood’s legal drama would have been a sure fire hit, given the success of the abundant John Grisham adaptations throughout the decade. “Juror #2” has all the makings of a classic Grisham narrative, and even adopts the Deep South setting associated with many famous legal dramas, so it came as a surprise to me that Eastwood’s latest feature was not adapted from an almost forgotten novel from a bygone era, but was actually originally penned for the screen by screenwriter Jonathan Abrams.
Eastwood’s latest leading man is the excellently cast Nicholas Hoult, who despite his fresh faced, clean-cut persona, there is a slight devilish twinkle in his eyes as he attempts to manipulate his fellow jurors. As a journalist, our eponymous juror Justin Kemp (Hoult) believes in conveying the truth on a daily basis, however, his morals come into question when he is called up for jury service for a high profile murder case in Savannah, Georgia. Reluctant to take part as a result of the imminent birth of his first born child to loving wife Allison (Zoey Deutch), Justin is frustrated having been selected for the jury by Assistant District Attorney Faith Killebrew (Toni Collette), only to soon find himself personally involved with the case. The trial involves reformed criminal James Sythe (Gabriel Basso), who is accused of murdering his girlfriend Kendall Carter (played by Eastwood’s daughter Francesca), following a drunken altercation at the local bar.
Coincidentally, on the fateful night of Kendall’s death, Justin, a recovering alcoholic, was in the same bar following the news that Allison’s previous pregnancy resulted in a miscarriage. Having left the bar at a similar time to the victim, Justin hit what he believed to be a deer while driving through a torrential rainstorm, but having seen the evidence laid out in court, he is convinced that he may be the one that killed Kendall Carter. Horrified that an innocent man might be convicted, Justin seeks help from local lawyer, and his Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor Larry (Kiefer Sutherland), who advises Justin that his prior DUI conviction would see him imprisoned. Morally conflicted, Justin resolves to argue a not-guilty verdict, all the while avoiding implicating himself in the victim’s death.
Instead of leaning too heavily towards typical Hollywood legal-drama conventions, Eastwood and Abrams opt to show their hand early, with the audience being made fully aware of Justin’s past actions in the first act. While this does prevent the thrills from escalating, depriving the film of any real suspense, it does allow the film to focus on the moral ambiguity of Hoult’s central character, who despite being a likeable everyman, manages to pull of a couple shady tricks to avoid suspicion. It is an understated yet impactful performance from Hoult, who has come along way since his early performances in British TV series “Skins” and the theatrical adaptation of Nick Hornby‘s “About a Boy” (2002), the latter of which being the last time Hoult and Collette shared acting credits on a project. The supporting cast of dependable character actors also do their best in realising a dramatic, yet believable court case, with Collette taking centre stage as the politically incentivised DA looking to capitalise on an initially cut-and-dry case to further her career. Chris Messina is excellent as the overworked public defence lawyer who genuinely believes his client to be innocent having represented countless guilty parties in the past.
Most of the narrative’s drama and middling suspense comes from Justin’s fellow juror Harold, earnestly portrayed by the great J.K. Simmons. Currently the owner of a flower shop with his wife, the initially side-lined Harold begins to take over deliberation proceedings when he announces to his fellow jurors that he is a retired detective, a fact that was not disclosed during jury selection, and that he suspects the real culprit is still out there, worrying Justin.
Knowing that if Sythe is cleared of his convictions the investigation will re-open, Justin is left with a moral conundrum as to whether a good man like himself is justified going to prison for a genuine accident, or for Sythe, a proven criminal, to be convicted for a crime he did not commit. This too has the audience question the difference between justice and law when it comes to the American legal system. “Juror #2” is not the first film I have seen this year that has questioned the ethics of American law and order. Jeremy Saulnier‘s excellent slow-burn drama “Rebel Ridge”, which was released on Netflix a few months ago, also explores potential corruption and instances of confirmation bias that sees numerous obvious suspects put away for crimes they did not commit. The most egregious depiction of a real life instance of confirmation bias can be seen in the shocking Netflix documentary mini-series “American Nightmare”, which saw California resident Aaron Quinn arrested on suspicion of kidnapping his girlfriend Denise Huskins, without the local detectives even opening an investigation into other potential suspects.
While “Juror #2” does not go for the jugular like these other examples, it still delivers in being an entertaining and taut courtroom drama, boasting excellent performances and showcasing competent filmmaking by the ever reliable Eastwood. While it may be seen as safe, with no stylish visuals or dramatic camera work, for Eastwood to continue delivering work of this calibre well into his nineties is one heck of an achievement, and it should not go unnoticed.
Juror #2 is now showing in UK Cinemas
Dan Loves Film 
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