AFI FEST 2024: JUROR NO. 2

Does the truth lead to justice?  In Juror No. 2 the audience is led to believe that this is indeed the case.  However, the truth can literally become whatever we make it out to be.

Directed by the legendary Clint Eastwood, this nail biting courtroom thriller will have audiences holding their breath!  Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult) looks like the perfect family man with the perfect wife (Zoey Deutch) and baby due any day.  However, Kemp soon finds himself serving as a juror in a high profile murder trial and it is during these proceedings he finds himself struggling with a serious moral dilemma.  An issue in which he could easily use to sway the jury verdict and potentially convict-or free-the wrong killer.

Audiences have seen a million courtroom dramas over the decades range from To Kill A Mockingbird, Twelve Angry Men, A Time to Kill, The Lincoln Lawyer to name a few. What makes the courtroom scenes interesting in this case are the interrogations, opening and closing arguments from the prosecutor (Toni Collette) and defense attorney’s (Chris Messina) dialogue is cut to appear as one long conversation thanks to the brilliant editing skills of David S. Cox and Joel Cox.

One can’t take their eyes off of Hoult (who bears a strong resemblance to a young Tom Cruise in this film), as he allows his nerves to craft his moves in order to cover his tracks. At every given turn when confronted by former police detective Harold (J.K. Simmons) and a few fellow jurors (Adrienne C. Moore, Cedric Yarbrough), Kemp somehow finds a way to deflect attention elsewhere. Toni Collette, very understated and calculated, is stellar and only complimented by the comical, grounded presence of Messina. It was also to see veteran screen favorite Amy Aquino presiding over it all.

Mark Mancina’s original score is as gripping and tense as the action surrounding it. At 94 years old, it’s rumored this may very well be Eastwood’s cinematic venture.  If that’s true, he’s going out in a blaze of glory like the many gunslingers he’s portrayed over the decades with a genre one wouldn’t expect coming the iconic filmmaker. But, the same was uttered when he hit us with Million Dollar Baby, American Sniper and Invictus.  Juror No. 2 will go down in history as one of the most riveting, jaw dropping suspense thrillers to top off a career full of jaw dropping moments.