While serving as a juror in a high-profile murder trial, a man finds himself confronting a serious moral dilemma, one he could use to sway the jury verdict and potentially convict or free the accused killer. A film by Clint Eastwood, starring Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, J.K. Simmons, Chris Messina, Gabriel Basso, Zoey Deutch, Cedric Yarbrough, Leslie Bibb, Amy Aquino, Adrienne C. Moore, and Kiefer Sutherland.

One year after miscarrying, local schoolteacher Allison Crewson (Zoey Deutch) is due to give birth any day now. She and her husband Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult), a regional lifestyle magazine writer, are expecting their child when Justin receives a jury summons. However, Justin promises he will find a way to avoid serving on the jury.

Despite attempting to disqualify himself from the jury panel by telling Judge Thelma Stewart (Amy Aquino) that his wife is in her third trimester of a high-risk pregnancy and that he needs to be available for her, the judge dismisses his excuse and assures him that the court will only require his time during his usual work hours, allowing him to be with his wife outside of those hours.

During the jury selection process, attorneys from both the prosecution and defense, along with the judge, conduct in-depth questioning of potential jurors to select twelve people for the jury panel in the trial of Kendall Carter (Francesca Eastwood), who was murdered on the night of 25 October 2021, allegedly by her boyfriend James Michael Sythe (Gabriel Basso). The state is charging Sythe with malice murder for Kendall Alice Carter’s death.

The selected jury panel includes Denice Aldworth (Leslie Bibb), who had previously served on jury panels twice before, Marcus King (Cedric Yarbrough), former police detective Harold Chicoski (J.K. Simmons), Luke Robinson (Jason Coviello), bus driver Yolanda (Adrienne C. Moore), Brody (Drew Scheid), Courtney (Hedy Nasser), Vince (Phil Biedron), medical student Keiko (Chikako Fukuyama), Irene (Zele Avradopoulos), Eli (Onix Serrano), and Justin Kemp.

Faith Killebrew (Toni Collette) serves as the prosecutor, hoping to attract voters in her run for District Attorney if she wins this case. As she begins describing the events leading to Kendall Carter’s death, she brings the courtroom back to the night when multiple witnesses confirmed that James Michael Sythe and Kendall Carter had a heated argument at a bar. Witnesses saw Kendall storm out, with James following her outside.

During Faith’s presentation, Justin experiences a flashback, remembering that he was also present at Rowdy’s Hideaway and witnessed the fight. Faith then plays a video clip recorded by a witness showing the couple’s continuing quarrel.

The clip ends with Kendall walking alone down Old Quarry Road, disappearing into the heavy rain, with James following her. Without concrete proof, Faith deliberately attempts to convince the jury that James followed Kendall, attacked her with a blunt object, pushed her over the railing into the creek below, and left her to die.

At his office, Justin searches the internet for detailed news about the incident and checks his calendar for 25 October 2021. He suddenly realizes a connection that makes him frustratingly nervous.

Later, Justin visits his Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor, Larry Lasker (Kiefer Sutherland), seeking advice. Larry, who is a defense attorney, asks Justin to pay him a dollar to establish attorney-client privilege. Justin then recounts the night he drove down Old Quarry Road during a stormy rain and accidentally hit something. When he got out to check, he saw nothing except his car’s broken bumper and a damaged blinker, suggesting he had struck something. A nearby deer crossing sign led him to assume he had hit a deer and simply drove home. However, after being called for jury duty, Justin begins to suspect that he may not have hit a deer after all.

Attorney-client privilege is a legal principle that protects the confidentiality of communications between a lawyer and their client, ensuring that clients can share information openly without fear of disclosure. This privilege applies to both oral and written communications made for the purpose of seeking legal advice. It is important to note that the privilege belongs to the client, who can choose to waive it. However, exceptions exist, such as when communications are made to further a crime or fraud, or if a third party is present during the communication.

Given Justin’s history of prior DUIs, Larry points out that even if Justin swears he didn’t drink, the fact that he was at the bar means nobody will believe him. It would be impossible to prove his sobriety. If Justin comes forward voluntarily and tells the truth, Larry warns that the State could charge him with first-degree vehicular homicide or even felony murder — potentially sentencing him to 30 years to life in prison.

Larry advises Justin that he must sway the jury’s verdict. If the trial ends in a mistrial, the public will demand a retrial, forcing them to go through the entire process again. However, if the district attorney’s office becomes convinced that Sythe isn’t the perpetrator, they will ultimately seek out the real culprit.

Directed by Clint Eastwood from a screenplay written by Jonathan Abrams, JUROR #2 is a courtroom thriller that centers on a recovering alcoholic who is selected for a murder trial jury.

As the trial unfolds, he struggles with a moral dilemma when he believes the convict might be an innocent man and simultaneously realizes that he himself might be the actual person responsible for the murder.

I like that the film includes the process of selecting a jury panel, which briefly shows how it’s done. It’s refreshing to see something most courtroom dramas usually gloss over.

The film’s most intriguing aspect is its ambiguity. It never explicitly shows whether Justin actually hit Kendall with his car or provides concrete evidence linking him to the murder, leaving viewers uncertain about his culpability despite the circumstantial evidence suggesting his involvement.

I particularly dislike the constant flashbacks that pop up like fragmented, distorted memories. These flashbacks disrupt the narrative flow, especially since they essentially don’t reveal any crucial information.

Nicholas Hoult delivers an impressive performance as a man torn between his conscience and self-preservation. Faced with the prospect of condemning an innocent man to a life sentence, he struggles with the knowledge that confessing to his own crime could result in a 30-year-to-life prison sentence, potentially leaving his wife and unborn child behind.

JUROR #2 premiered at AFI Fest on 27 October 2024. The film received a limited theatrical release in the United States on 1 November by Warner Bros. Pictures.