In Juror #2, Justin Kemp is a journalist and recovering alcoholic, living and working in Georgia. Justin is married, with a baby on the way, when he is called up to be a juror on a murder trial.
With Justin’s wife in the third trimester of pregnancy, he attempts to get out of jury duty. However, his plea to the judge to be dismissed from the trial is ignored, and he is chosen as the eponymous juror #2 on the death of Kendall Carter.
But Justin has another reason for not wanting to appear on the jury. He knows more about Kendall’s death than he is letting on.
Justin was at the same bar on the night of Kendall’s supposed murder and he was responsible for her demise. But keen not to incriminate himself, Justin has to wrestle with his conscience as to what to do next.
Starring Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, J. K. Simmons, and Kiefer Sutherland, Juror #2 is a courtroom crime-thriller, directed by Clint Eastwood. The film marks 94-year-old Eastwood’s final time in the director’s chair (unless he decides to come out of retirement), and is an intriguing picture with a great hook.
The film is essentially built around a moral quandary, with Justin at the centre. He is a guilty man, with all the information about a crime, but does he fess up and ruin his life (as well as the life of his wife and future child), or does he remain quiet and get away with murder, knowing someone else will take the fall?
The film explores this question, as Justin goes through the motions of watching the trial play out and watching his fellow jurors debate their decisions. He could stop it all with the simple words “I did it”, but things would go south for him pretty quickly if he did, and that’s not something he’s keen to do.
To make matters worse for Justin (or more interesting for the audience), the jurors start to question the specifics of the case and this leads them closer to the truth. But will the truth come out, or will Justin manage to hide his guilt?
I won’t answer that question, you’ll have to watch Juror #2 to find out. What I will tell you is Juror #2 is a great little movie, with expert direction from Eastwood.
It’s a shame Eastwood is retiring, but hey, if you can’t retire at 94, when can you? Either way, he leaves behind an impressive body of work, with Juror #2 being another prime example of his skills as a filmmaker.
He takes a simple, yet effective story from writer Jonathan Abrams, assembles a great cast, and strings out the tale with plenty of suspense and thrills. Only Justin and the audience are privy to the truth, and Eastwood uses this angle to keep interest levels up throughout his film.
Nicholas Hoult takes on the role of Justin, playing the part with strong conviction. Justin demonstrates an acute sense of stoicism throughout, and Hoult nails the part effortlessly.
Joining Hoult on screen is the always brilliant Toni Collette, playing prosecuting assistant D.A., Faith Killebrew, while Kiefer Sutherland pops up as Larry Lasker, Justin’s Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor. Meanwhile, J. K. Simmons puts in a short, but notable turn as fellow juror, Harold, who begins to suspect the case isn’t as clear cut as it seems.
Together, the cast, plus a robust story, some good cinematography, and Eastwood’s knack for dialogue and interactions, makes Juror #2 a fairly solid picture. Not Eastwood’s best, but another captivating one nonetheless, and that’s all that matters.
If courtroom thrillers are your thing, you’ll want to pop Juror #2 on your watchlist. Sure, this isn’t a grand film, and it very much keeps things on a small scale, but it is executed rather well.
Should you wish to watch Juror #2, the film is currently available to rent or buy on digital platforms, and will be available to buy on disc in the new year. If you live in the US, the movie will stream on MAX from 20th December.
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