Juror #2 (2024)
If they made Law and Order into a movie.
Presentation:
Client Eastwood directs another film in his classic simplistic style. The grade is appropriately neutral for a courtroom drama with the only visual intrigue boiling down to anamorphic lenses and a conservative lighting style. The film looks and feels like a Law and Order episode without the dramatic music. Acting is amateurish by design, which you could argue makes for a more realistic legal drama but I would have liked to see more acting from Nicholas Hoult other than the same guilty bunny teeth face for the entire film. I think performances all around were pretty boring aside from Toni Collete. A painfully mediocre film with weak presentation and the only reason you’ll persist is solely because of its interesting premise.
Conclusion:
Considering how good courtroom dramas can be, I don’t see how anyone could consider this even in the same timezone as A Few Good Men or Anatomy of a Fall. Maybe it’s good if you haven’t watched those other films, but I’d rather watch 12 Angry Men again. It’s decent for sure and just interesting enough like Law and Order: SUV, but is probably more appropriately left on in the background TV while you’re working on something else. Although some aspects are undramatized and boringly naturalistic, the plot does go someplace where you probably didn’t expect it to go making it potentially worth the watch. However, the jury is still out whether it’s worth your time.
Recommendations
Making sense of a school shooter.