by Nick Nitkowski

“Juror #2” is a movie that shot up on my radar for two very specific reasons. The first reason being that it’s Clint Eastwood’s latest directorial film. He does not play any role in the film. And the second and probably the most important reason, is that the studio that distributed the film (WB) only released the film in 50 theaters across the country. There are rumors as to why this is, but I won’t get into that here. Needless to say, the closest theater that was playing this film to me was an hour and half long drive away and as you can probably tell, I made that trip just to see this movie on the big screen. It was my only opportunity to do so. So now that I’ve seen Clint Eastwood’s latest, and possibly last, film at the theater, how was it?

It’s actually really good. I enjoyed it. I did say in the tag that it’s Clint Eastwood’s new version of “12 Angry Men”, one of my all-time favorite movies, and I mentioned that because there were a few things in the movie that reminded me of that particular film. Not to say that this is some alternate shot-for-shot remake like they did in 1997, this is far from that. As far as I know, this is an original courtroom drama film.

The movie stars Nicholas Hoult as the title character Juror #2 who is called in for jury duty and while listening in on the case, he finds out that he unknowingly may have some involvement in it. The first half of the film is the courtroom drama revealing the details of the case. The second half focuses on the jurors as they try to reach a verdict. That’s where I noticed a couple “12 Angry Men” similarities. 

What I liked most about this movie is that it shows how justice and the justice system isn’t always black and white as it’s usually depicted in films. This movie explores a particular grey area while also bringing to question one’s morals when it comes to doing what is considered the right or the wrong thing. I like how it wasn’t so cut and dry as most films make it out to be. I suppose that can be credited to the film’s writing. 

The acting in this film was fine. Nothing that I would consider to be Oscar-worthy performances, but still very good performances. Nicholas Hoult obviously carries the weight of the film and does so very well. Toni Collette is in it as a prosecutor of the trial and we all know that she does a great job in her roles. No exception here. J. K. Simmons is in here as one of the other jurors and his role is minor in the film. Not a lot of screen time for him, but he still has his moments. And there are a few other familiar faces sprinkled in the movie, all of whom do a good job.

Overall, “Juror #2” was a well-made and well-written courtroom drama, of which I’m a fan of when done right and this film does so. This could potentially be Clint Eastwood’s last movie as he is currently 94 years old. At his age, I’m kind of surprised that he is still directing movies. Not that I’m complaining at all, but if this happens to be Clint Eastwood’s final film, I’d say that it’s a good one to end on as I really enjoyed the moral dilemmas presented in this film. I do have to doc some points for the “12 Angry Men” similarities, but that aside, it’s still a very good film. If you are fortunate enough to have this movie playing in a movie theater near you, I would highly recommend seeing it and judging for yourself. Even if you have to venture a little out of your way to do so like I did. 

4.5 stars