By Elliot Lines - October 31, 2024
At 94, it's incredible to see the Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood still getting behind the camera. His latest addition to an extensive filmography, Juror No.2, follows Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult) who is called up to jury duty - only to realise that he may be more involved in the case than he anticipated.
Juror No.2 offers an interesting premise and delivers a decent courtroom drama, with Hoult at the helm putting in a stellar performance. However, it suffers from revealing its hand too early, making it at times feel like its meandering through its story line.
Juror No.2 has a story worth telling, one that could be compelling on paper. The film has hints of trying to be a major courtroom drama, but its biggest flaw comes before you've even sat down to watch the film - the trailer. Chances are that you've seen the trailer, or at least read the synopsis, which unfortunately gives away the full story. By doing this, the film becomes extremely predictable in nature, meandering through court room scenes without suspense. Juror No.2 would benefit from revealing Justin Kemp's involvement in a more subtle manner, in turn this would give the film a layer of mystery throughout it's runtime.
As for the story idea itself, I thought the idea was excellent. Juror No.2 effectively shows real people in a potentially dire situation. While the scenario may be unlikely, it's not impossible. The thought of being put in Justin's shoes is a nightmare for anyone, you couldn't imagine the thoughts going through his mind, but the film does well to portray the range of emotions he must be experiencing.
Nicholas Hoult stars in the titular role as Justin Kemp, and his performance is by far the standout. Justin is plagued by his past, and when that past catches up to him here he is clearly still haunted by it. Hoult vividly conveys the emotional impact these past events are having on Justin and makes that emotion resonate off screen.
There is a handful of other appearances of note. Toni Collette (The Sixth Sense) plays Faith Killebrew, the prosecutor, while J.K Simmons (Whiplash) plays a fellow juror on the panel with a detective past. Both of which stand out amongst the rest, although Simmons is severely underutilised here. As for the rest of the supporting cast, they added little to the story.
In the end, Juror No.2 brings to the table and intriguing concept and features a strong lead performance from Nicholas Hoult. However, by revealing the facts too early, the film not only became predictable but had a lack of suspense stopping it from becoming a gripping courtroom drama.
JUROR NO.2 RELEASES IN UK CINEMAS NOVEMBER 1
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