Perhaps the most bittersweet movie experience of 2024 comes with Clint Eastwood's latest. At 94 years of age, time has had its way with him physically, as it does with us all, but behind the lens, he's still very much in the game. Is Juror #2 as special as Mystic River or Million Dollar Baby? Not a hope. Is it better than, say, Bloodwork or Cry Macho? Undoubtedly.
Nicholas Hoult plays the freelance journalist who is called for jury duty just as his wife (Zoey Deutch) is about to give birth. He tries to get out of the courtroom for that reason but still ends up being selected among the 12. The charge is murder with the defendant (Gabriel Basso) accused of killing his girlfriend after a characteristically trouble-filled night out. The prosecutor (Toni Collette) is convinced it's the open-and-shut case that will help her to become district attorney, but as the jury settles in to hear the evidence, we discover that one man in the front row is not as impartial as he is required to be...
With his trademark economical directing style, Eastwood nimbly gets around this legal thriller. At times, Juror #2 is too far-fetched plot-wise, but it still keeps you guessing. Eastwood has cast a fine ensemble - you can imagine the queue to be part of it stretching up into the Hollywood Hills - and never gets bogged down in courtroom back-and-forth as we move towards the verdict. The biggest surprise here, however, is how well this film has turned out, and if it's an old-school watch you're after, have your day/night in court.
Time yet for another one?
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