Content Advisory: Substance abuse or alcoholism
A recovering alcoholic called to juror duty realizes that he may be responsible for the crime being tried in Juror #2. Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult) is a journalist and recovering alcoholic, whose wife Allison Crewson (Zoey Deutch) is in the final trimester of a high-risk pregnancy. Justin is called for jury duty in the trial of James Michael Sythe (Gabriel Basso), who is accused of killing his girlfriend Kendall Carter (Francesca Eastwood). Assistant District Attorney Faith Killebrew (Toni Collette) believes that this trial will be a quick conviction due to Sythe’s criminal background, however, public defender Eric Resnick (Chris Messina) thinks that his client is innocent.
During the opening comments of the trial, Justin begins to realize that not only was he in the same bar as Sythe and Carter on the night of the latter’s death, but a deer he thought he hit with the car on the way home, might not have been a deer. Seeking advice from his lawyer, and alcoholics anonymous sponsor, Larry Lasker (Kiefer Sutherland), Justin is told that coming forward could result in a 30-year life sentence, due to his past DUI history. However, Justin remains plagued with guilt during the trial and when it comes time to deliberate, he tries anything he can to avoid a quick conviction for James Michael Sythe.
Juror #2 Synopsis
Juror #2 is a legal drama directed by Clint Eastwood (American Sniper) starring Nicholas Hoult (The Menu) as Justin Kemp, the titular juror of a murder trial, who realizes that he may be the one responsible for the crime. The film co-stars Toni Collette (Knives Out) as prosecutor Faith Killebrew, who believes that a swift conviction would help her upcoming election for District Attorney. Many of the jurors, including foreperson Denice Aldworth (Leslie Bibb), retired detective Harold (J. K. Simmons), and Marcus (Cedric Yarbrough), who has a personal vendetta against the gang James Michael Sythe is affiliated with, are all leaning towards a guilty verdict. However, Justin, struck by guilt over his realization, delays the jury’s delivery of their verdict, forcing them to carefully consider the evidence and look for reasonable doubt in the case.
My Thoughts on Juror #2
Admittedly, it has been a decade since I’ve last seen a Clint Eastwood-directed film, even though the actor-turned-filmmaker remains quite prolific at 94 years old. However, I felt more compelled to go see Juror #2, not only because Eastwood’s advanced age could make this his final film as director, but that it is being buried in a theatrical release of less than 50 screens, in the latest puzzling decision by a David Zalov-led Warner Bros. I am lucky to live in the only city in Canada showing Juror #2 on a single screen.
It’s a shame that Juror #2 hasn’t received a wider release, since it is a perfectly watchable legal drama that deals with themes of having a guilty conscience and the difference between finding the truth and seeking justice. The plot of the film is cleverly structured in a way that turning himself in, would be the most difficult thing for Justin Kemp to do. Not only does Justin have a very pregnant wife at home depending on him, but he learns that his history as an alcoholic would make juried biased against him, with the hit and run that he believed to have done being designated first-degree vehicular homicide.
About half of the plot of Juror #2 is spent during the jury’s deliberation, where Justin tries to argue against a quick guilty verdict, while simultaneously trying to avoid placing suspicion on himself. While many of the fellow juror members in the film are inconsequential, there are some standouts, such as J.K. Simmons as retired homicide detective Harold, who warns against having tunnel vision, and Cedric Yarbrough (Reno 911!) as Marcus, who becomes Justin’s biggest rival on the jury. At the same time Justin is trying to influence the jury’s decision, prosecutor Faith Killebrew begins to have second thoughts about how sure she is that James Michael Sythe was the guilty party.
One of the ultimate messages that Juror #2 leaves behind is that there is no black-and-white answer when it comes to seeking justice. While Justin Kemp may be the true guilty party of this crime, he is far from the monster that many believe the culprit to be. The film also decides to conclude on a bittersweet and ambiguous note, which will result in many debating what happens in the aftermath of this trial.
Once again, Juror #2 is not a film that deserved to be buried by Warner Bros. While the film may have not been the Oscar bait that the studio was hoping for it to be, it is no excuse to dump what may be Clint Eastwood’s final film on less than 50 screens. While Juror #2 will likely eventually find its audience on VOD, I do ask that if the film is playing theatrically near you to respect the decades-long legacy of Clint Eastwood and go see it.