Juror No. 2 Review

Seeing Clint Eastwood continue to work is genuinely staggering. Many may have written him off after The Mule, but his 2018 effort had all the hallmarks of a cowboy running out of road. His onscreen portrayals may now be dusted but his time in the director’s chair has hit a consistent stride. Not the most interesting filmmaker but certainly a man with enough purpose in his role as a legend of the business. No time is wasted in this Nicholas Hoult-led feature, and thankfully not. It is refreshing to see a sub-two-hour film used every second. It all counts and while Juror No. 2, this latest Eastwood piece, is far from incredible, it sets up and breaks down a family man with some staggering conviction. This is as crucial to Hoult as it is to Eastwood. Familiar faces are what makes the difference in Juror No. 2. 

Where this is a larger-than-life story, Eastwood does exceptionally well to dull it down in the right ways. Those thrills of the courtroom are not where the drama is, but in the discussion chambers and the political backdrop which swirls around irrespective of what happens in the courtroom. Hoult, Toni Collette and J.K. Simmons are exceptional here. Juror No. 2 depends on their ability to not just be recognisable, but to be ordinary. It is all ballast to the inexplorable and intense interactions Hoult offers. His role as Justin Kemp relies on being led down the wrong path by the right people. By those who believe they know him best, that piece together the past without giving Kemp the chance to do that work for himself. Juror No. 2 is all poised on the interpretation of tragedy.  

Unlike the previous works of Eastwood, this is an exciting thrill ride of a drama with plenty of twists and turns. This is no J. Edgar. This is raw and monumental work from a very humanising adaptation of not just the faulty legal system but the pivots people make to progress themselves. Brutally well-weaved storytelling, albeit a bit ham-fisted, is the driving force of Juror No. 2. Quality courtroom dramas are few and far between. Eastwood offers another one to the pile. The ensemble is all part of the thrill here. Little cracks begin to show. There is never any doubt that this is a subtle piece of dramatic work. Juror No. 2 relies on the sincerity of people who, as the judge herself says, “do not want to be here”. Are they the perfect character witnesses after all? Whatever the case, Eastwood takes a few potshots at the jury service system, but most of his focus is on character studies. 

Something is happening for Hoult. Slowly, but surely, he is becoming the most dependable leading man for these dramatic, intense roles. Nosferatu is just around the corner and his time as Lex Luthor in what will no doubt be a questionable adaptation of Superman, is a chance to cement him as a Glen Powell-level star. Make no mistake about it, Hoult can handle it. He proves as much in Juror No. 2, a particularly exceptional feature. Eastwood marks an interesting development in his career behind the camera – a formidable attempt to both resuscitate a sub-genre of dramatics but also stave off any desire to pay tribute to the likes of 12 Angry Men or Young Mr. Lincoln. Those classics are a league above Juror No. 2, but when the likes of Your Honour and The Trial of the Chicago Seven are playing fast and loose with the fundamentals of the genre, it is refreshing to see an adept attempt at cracking it once more.