Juror 2: Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult) is chosen as one of twelve jurors to decide the fate of a defendant accused of homicide, only to discover that his thumb-up, thumb-down decision transcends the trial itself; like free will, suffering is woven into the fabric of our existence.

Clint Eastwood’s movies typically deliver entertainment with plots that resolve in the great American tradition of truth, justice, and apple pie. This film is different. It’s a story where past mistakes lead to present agony and future pain.

This is a thought-provoking movie, brilliantly portrayed by Hoult. Very little staging or action is needed to polish it into a complete piece. My only quibble is that the moral predicament would resolve itself if the protagonist were fully aware of his actions when they occurred. But then there would be no plot.

Genre: Crime-Drama-Suspense-Legal Thriller-Psychological Thriller

Directed by: Clint Eastwood

Screenplay by: Jonathan Abrams

Music by: Mark Mancina

Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, J.K. Simmons, Kiefer Sutherland

Film Location: Savannah, Georgia and Los Angeles

ElsBob: 6.5/10

IMDb: 7.1/10

Rotten Tomatoes Critics: 93%

Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter: 91%

Metacritic Metascore: 72%

Metacritic User Score: 7.4/10

Theaters: 1 November 2024

Runtime: 114 minutes

Budget: ~$35 million

Box Office: $18.8 million

Source: Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb, Metacritic. Graphic: Juror 2 Poster and Trailer, copyright Warner Bros. Pictures.