JUROR #2

 

I would have loved to have seen JUROR #2 in a theater, but Warners decided it didn't deserve a nationwide release, despite the fact that it could potentially be the last film directed by Clint Eastwood. One would think that Warners would take this opportunity to celebrate and promote their 50+ years relationship with a cinematic legend, but apparently that isn't trendy enough. JUROR #2 isn't all that trendy either--it's not based on an existing intellectual property, or a comic book, or a musical, and it isn't jam-packed with all sorts of CGI. 

What JUROR #2 happens to be is a good, solid contemporary drama, with a thought-provoking screenplay by Jonathan Abrams. The story contains the type of material that one usually finds in the best films Eastwood has directed. It's about everyday Americans facing the consequences of their actions, and the movie examines the thin line between what is supposedly considered right and wrong. The story also has plenty of ambiguity, an element that has attracted Eastwood all the way back when he was in his prime as a major movie star. 

In Savannah, Georgia, Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult) has been chosen for jury duty on a murder trial. Kemp doesn't relish this assignment--his wife is due to give birth any day now. The case seems cut-and-dried--a man with a violent past is accused of killing his girlfriend, and dumping her body in a ravine. During the trial Kemp remembers that he was in the exact area the same night as the woman was killed. That night Kemp thought he hit a deer....but he now starts to realize that he may have struck the woman. Kemp tries to sway his fellow jurors that the accused may not be guilty, while at the same time avoiding telling the authorities about his role in the incident. 

If you are familiar with Clint Eastwood's directorial style, you'll know what to expect from JUROR #2. Eastwood lets the story and the actors do most of the work, and he avoids flashy camera or editing techniques. The overall cast does very well, especially Hoult, Toni Collette as the ambitious district attorney, and J.K. Simmons as a juror who happens to be a retired police officer. What's most effective about JUROR #2 is that it offers up no easy answers, just like in real life. 

If this film had been made ten years ago, it would have absolutely gotten a major theatrical release, and it might even have been up for a few awards as well. The fact that JUROR #2 seems to have been passed over by Warners says more about the state of the entertainment industry than it does the actual merits of the film. If JUROR #2 is Clint Eastwood's last directorial effort, he's going out riding high.