37/46

Managed to catch a screening of this at the AFI FEST 2024Okay, I'll get right to it

Plot

Family man Justin Kemp who, while serving as a juror in a high profile murder trial, finds himself struggling with a serious moral dilemma…one he could use to sway the jury verdict and potentially convict – or free – the wrong killer.. Kiefer Sutherland got his part by writing to Clint Eastwood telling him how big a fan of his he was, and that he wanted to star in one of his movies before he retired..

I have seen many of Clint Eastwood's directed works and while I liked Million Dollar Baby, I was never a fan of his directing works and approach as I find myself not being able to stand the way the themes, atmosphere and tone is handled

Juror No. 2 is an interesting concept and has a wonderful cast, but unfortunately, it's a narrative that feels predictable and uninteresting character engagement doesn't really do much of the service.Eastwood's direct approach to the narrative and structure is simple and doesn't really have anything special ongoing.

Including bland camerawork presentation and some rough dialogue momentsThe performances are all solid with none being terribly acted

An observation from the juror perspective is interesting but unfortunately, Eastwood doesn't really offer any good insight to the characters and with a story so predictable, it causes many of the characters to feel dull and makes it pretty difficult to believe a single word they are saying. Known for his one or few take direction approach, the direction feels aimless and lifeless, as if he was directing an empty chair.

But his prime times are completely over at this point

The musical score is pretty good and there are some moments in the third act that I did find to be a bit strong. It's a concept and scenario that is interesting, but if the movie has been handled better with the directing and writing, then it might have been a better movie.Overall, undeniably Clint Eastwood is definitely a talented person.