Juror #2 (12A)

Devoted family man Justin Kemp is sequestered to serve on the jury of a high-profile murder trial, passing judgement on brutish defendant James Sythe. He is accused of killing girlfriend Kendall Carter one stormy night after a public fight in a bar. Evidence presented by ambitious prosecutor faith Killbrew, who is seeking election as district attorney, is compelling. Leaving his heavily pregnant wife Ally, Justin listens intently to the testimony and he begins to struggle with a serious moral dilemma.

LondonNet Film Review

Juror #2 (12A) Film Review from LondonNet

At the tender age of 94, Oscar-winning filmmaker Clint Eastwood probes the malleability of American justice in a solid but contrived courtroom drama penned by Jonathan Abrams, which plays out like a moral quandary torn from the pages of a John Grisham novel. Indeed, the central character of Grisham’s robust thriller The Runaway Jury also serves as Juror #2 for a high-profile trial, and both pictures stoke moderate tension by exploring the tangled lives of 12 men and women in the deliberation room charged with thoughtfully weighing the evidence…

Nicholas Hoult is well cast in Eastwood’s picture as a recovering alcoholic grieving the loss of twins during pregnancy. A noose tightens slowly around his character’s neck in Abrams’ script and his AA sponsor (Kiefer Sutherland) just happens to be a lawyer, who can distil pithy nuggets of legalese to counsel against any course of action that might expedite the running time. There are no last-gasp twists or surprise witnesses, nor are there any clear-cut heroes or villains, just morally conflicted people in the wrong place at the wrong time, torn between nobility and self-preservation.

Eastwood’s unfussy and assured direction glides through the trial without fanfare or distraction from an impressive ensemble cast including JK Simmons and Leslie Bibb as fellow jurors. The dramatic fulcrum is magazine writer Justin Kemp (Hoult), who is sequestered to serve on a murder trial, passing judgment on brutish defendant James Sythe (Gabriel Basso). Sythe is accused of killing his hot-headed girlfriend Kendall Carter (Francesca Eastwood) one year ago, following a public fight in a bar.

Ambitious prosecutor Faith Killebrew (Toni Collette) knows a guilty verdict could swing an impending election for district attorney in her favour. “This case is my campaign,” she private confides. Public defender Eric Resnick (Chris Messina) refuses to accept her plea deal – voluntary manslaughter with a recommendation for 20 years in prison – because his client is innocent and wants his day in court. Justin listens intently to testimony and faces an agonising moral dilemma: he was at the same bar as James and Kendall that rain-lashed night, and struck something on the road during the drive home – perhaps a deer, perhaps his girlfriend. A belated confession by the juror could set Sythe free but Justin has a doting wife (Zoey Deutch) at home in the third-trimester of a high-risk pregnancy.

Juror #2 is a straightforward and entertaining procedural drama, which spends almost two hours putting Justin through an emotional wringer before Sythe stands in court to hear his verdict. There are echoes of 12 Angry Men with Justin as the sole voice for acquittal and Eastwood allows dialogue and performances to drive the robust middle act. Hoult exudes nervousness and culpability for almost the entire film, which would be detected in a courtroom setting where everyone is under intense scrutiny. Eastwood’s quietly engrossing picture stands guilty of many things – contrivance, predictability, ruthless efficiency – but realism isn’t one of them.

– Sarah Lee