What a coincidence that on the very day I wrote about some of my favorite courtroom dramas, I ended up watching another captivating addition to the genre - Juror # 2.
And it is really, really good.
The story felt refreshingly different from almost every courtroom drama movie I have watched or legal thriller I have read. Throughout the film, you constantly keep wondering what ending you actually want. Not what the law demands, not what morality demands, but what outcome you yourself are hoping for. Very few courtroom dramas manage to create that kind of internal conflict.
The movie stars Nicholas Hoult (from About a Boy and Superman) in the lead role and also features Toni Collette (from About a Boy, Little Miss Sunshine, The Sixth Sense) , J.K. Simmons (from Whiplash, Spiderman, La La Land), Gabriel Basso (from The Night Agent), and Kiefer Sutherland (from Designated Survivor, 24, A Time To Kill). The performances are restrained, mature, and perfectly suited to the tone of the film.
One of the best moments for me was realizing who the director was only when the end credits started rolling.
Directed and produced by Clint Eastwood.
That instantly explained the understated brilliance of the film. Eastwood has always had a unique ability to tell emotionally layered stories without unnecessary dramatization. Whether it is Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino, Hereafter, The Bridges of Madison County, Unforgiven, Letters from Iwo Jima, Flags of Our Fathers, Sully, Invectus, American Sniper, The 15:17 To Paris, Richard Jewell, his films rarely scream for attention, yet they stay with you long after they end.
And, when it comes to Clint Eastwood, you naturally expect his movies to deliver “The Good” (Get that?😛)
Juror #2 certainly does.
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