To the people at Warner Bros. who thought it was a good idea to give Juror #2 only a limited release: You should be fired! We'll probably never know the full extent of why the decision was made to play this film in only 50 theaters nationwide, with no plans for any subsequent rollouts. I'm one of the lucky few who live relatively close to a theater blessed with the film's presence, although my attendance is almost for naught considering WB is declining to report any box office numbers. All of this is to say that Juror #2 is an excellent courtroom drama that should be seen by everybody, whenever that'll be (a streaming release date has not been announced as of this review's publishing date). At the age of 94, Clint Eastwood proves that he can still get the job done as a director, even if this final outing could be considered a little too safe.

The story follows Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult), an everyday man, who, like all of us, is reluctantly called upon for jury duty. It's supposed to be an open-and-shut case: A girl is killed by her seemingly abusive boyfriend after they have a fight at a bar. However, the more that time goes on and facts are presented, the more Justin begins to realize he might have played a crucial role in the murder. An ethical dilemma is put before him, with the penalty for telling the truth being that he endangers his future with his soon-to-be-born son, and the penalty for lying being that an innocent person will be convicted.

This internal wrestling match is handled with care and complexity, allowing the audience to immerse themselves fully in Justin's struggle. Eastwood skillfully uses the courtroom as a pressure cooker, creating suspense and a palpable sense of urgency. Things gradually escalate as the film cuts back and forth between the trial and the night of the murder, mixing in eyewitness testimonies and Justin's memories. The blurred lines keep him in silence during the courtroom proceedings, but Hoult’s face captures the torment, similar to what Cillian Murphy did in Oppenheimer last year.

While the ultra-limited rollout dampens its breakout potential, this film is Hoult's show and another notch in his current hot streak that includes the upcoming features of The Order and Nosferatu. To be fair, it's not like he was in a slump, as his previous significant roles over the last decade in Warm Bodies, the X-Men prequels, Mad Max: Fury Road, and The Menu are nothing to sneeze at. But this trio marks a reinvigoration of his career, bringing out his capabilities as an actor that we haven't fully seen before. Justin has a lot on the line, all with the threat that any expression he displays could be a hint of his hidden truth. Hoult delivers an outstandingly subtle performance, his brain being a thunderstorm that must be contained before it hurricanes into the trial.

Several scenes are slightly protracted, which keeps the pace steady, but the overall proceedings feel a little easy. There's an effective exploration of the physical and emotional stakes that surround Justin's situation, with Eastwood and screenwriter Jonathan Abrams toying with the ideas of ambiguity and guilt. Even though we as the audience know more than most of the characters, there is still a little bit of a guessing game to be played, and a lot of thrill in seeing everyone else trying to connect the dots to varying degrees of success.

Eastwood has been working for nearly 70 years, with a majority of them being behind the camera. The admirably no-nonsense craft at the heart of Juror #2 is emblematic of his status as one of Hollywood's most enduring figures. To see his (supposedly) final film, one that will skillfully loom with me into the future, swept under the rug by the studio that he's called home for decades is an embarrassing shame. I hope this review serves as the wake-up call that cleans up the stain that WB has placed upon this film. The evidence is all here, and the jury should find this movie not guilty of the drawbacks that have been placed on it.

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