by Charles Kirkland Jr.
One man serving as a juror in a high-profile murder trial, finds himself struggling with a serious moral
dilemma in Juror #2.
When Justin Kemp is called for jury duty, he tries his best to be dismissed because his wife is in the third
trimester of a high-risk pregnancy. Unfortunately, he does not get dismissed and gets assigned as Juror #2 in an extremely high-profile case that the prosecutor, Faith Killebrew, is using to empower her campaign for District Attorney. Once the trial begins, Justin realizes that he has some knowledge of the case that may prove the innocence. Sadly, the overworked but well-intentioned public defender fails to present any evidence that will exonerate his client. With the jury now in deliberation, Juror #2 finds himself attempting to save the defendant without compromising himself and the case.
Written by Jonathan A. Abrams, Juror #2 stars Nicholas Hoult as Justin Kemp and Toni Collette as Faith Killebrew. The movie also stars Zoey Deutch, Leslie Bibb, J.K. Simmons, Adrienne C. Moor, Cedric Yarbrough, and Kiefer Sutherland. Juror #2 is directed by four-time Oscar winner, Clint Eastwood. This is Clint Eastwood’s forty-second directorial effort.
Juror #2 features the first reuniting of Nicholas Hoult and Toni Collette since they starred as mother and son in 2002’s Oscar-nominated film, About A Boy. This is also the first movie that Kiefer Sutherland has done with Clint Eastwood as director. When Sutherland heard of the movie and its script, he asked Eastwood to allow him to be in the film because he felt he had to star in one of the ninety-four-year-old’s works before he retires.
The story of Juror #2 is an updated version of the classic film, 12 Angry Men. Nicholas Hoult plays a role similar to Henry Fonda being the lone objector to the quick decision by the jury. Cedric Yarbrough is the updated version of Lee J. Cobb’s character who is set to judge a book by its cover. Thankfully, racial tension is absent from the film but there is a moment when Yarbrough seems just as seriously unrelenting as Cobb.
There is one twist to the plot that 12 Angry Men did not have. Justin Kemp knows that the defendant did not commit the crime. Since Justin Kemp is privy to certain facts about the case that were unrevealed, he takes action to save the life of the defendant. Everyone knows that a jury is not allowed to investigate the case on which they are serving but because of some information that Juror #2 knows, he influences another juror to do exactly that. The juror is discovered and thrown off the jury. However, his actions set things in motion.
Clint Eastwood is the king of the moral dilemma. Almost all of his movies feature a sizable moral decision for the protagonist. That’s his wheelhouse. Whether it is Richard Jewell or The Mule, Eastwood seems to know where his directorial talents lie. That’s a really good thing. Hoult and Collette both stated that Eastwood has a laid-back, easy style to his direction that leans into the actor’s ability and gives them the room to do their jobs, often in just one take. Maybe it’s because he is ninety-four years old and he doesn’t have time to waste.
Rated PG-13 for some violent images and strong language, Juror #2 is a testament to the skills of one of the greatest and sometimes overlooked directors working in Hollywood today. It is a well-performed and directed story about responsibility and truth that strives to ensure that the audience knows that sometimes you can’t have them both.
Juror #2 can be seen in a limited release in theaters on November 1, 2024.
Grade: B+