KSL Movie Show review: ‘Juror #2’ is baffling

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SALT LAKE CITY — Baffling.  I don’t know how else to describe it.

Clint Eastwood has been making movies for Warner Bros. for the past 50 years – most of them good.

So now he directs a fairly powerful courtroom drama, “Juror #2.” The movie has actually made a few top ten critics’ lists around the country, but the studio decided to only release it in a handful of U.S. theaters (50 actually) around the first of November. 

They said they didn’t release the box office numbers out of respect for the legendary director – wanted to help him save face – but the face saving and tail covering was all done in behalf of the studio.

Bottomline – they screwed up. 

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Overseas and out of complete control of Warner Bros, their foreign distributing partners managed to squeeze a tidy $20+ million dollars out of this supposedly “throw away” movie.  The WB claim that it only intended the film to go to streaming all along, but wanted to give it a charity peek in domestic theaters – and sadly those box office numbers were never revealed.

With no marketing or word of mouth, the film didn’t stand a chance.

The good news is it’s finally hitting streaming services, most notably MAX, so you’ll be able to see what the legendary director had in mind.

“Juror #2” – not exactly an exciting title – but appropriate once you sink your teeth into this little gem. 

Set in rural Georgia, a recovering alcoholic Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult) is called in for jury duty on a high-profile murder case involving the death of a young woman, Kendall, who was killed after a heated argument in a bar with her boyfriend, James (Gabriel Basso). 

Angry, tipsy and tired, Kendall starts walking away from the bar in the pouring rain late at night.  Equally angry, James gets in his car to follow her, but says he changed his mind, drove home to sleep it off. 

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The next day, a hiker discovers Kendall’s body under a narrow bridge.  She appeared to have been beaten and tossed over the edge. Signs point to James, since eyewitnesses saw them both leave in a huff, with James following in his car. 

A neighbor says he heard a car’s brakes squeal, looked out the window and identified James in court as the guy exiting the vehicle.  Open and shut case, thinks Assistant D.A. Faith Killebrew (Toni Collette) in the midst of her own campaign to become the next District Attorney.  Win this case and she’s almost a shoe-in.  

Only now our Juror #2 is remembering a year ago, just before Halloween that he had stopped in that same bar on that same night, considered a drink after some devastating family news but stopped, got in his car, emotionally distraught and thought he hit a deer or something on that torrential rainy highway. 

He got out, looked around, saw nothing, got back in his car and drove home never giving it another thought – until now. 

You think this might be simple.  Just go to the police, explain the accident, no harm no foul, only it gets a lot more complicated.  Watch it and find out.  It’s definitely worth the effort. And if you’re hiring, I’m pretty sure there’s a former studio suit that’s looking for work. 

JUROR #2 (B+) Rated PG-13 for some violent images and strong language. Starring Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, Chris Messina, J.K. Simmons and Zoe Deutch.  Directed by Clint Eastwood (“Unforgiven” “Million Dollar Baby”) – filmed in Savannah, Georgia. Running time: 114 minutes. 

The KSL Movie Show with Andy Farnsworth and Steve Salles airs Fridays on KSL NewsRadio from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Follow the show on Facebook, and join The KSL Movie Show Club for exclusive perks by texting MOVIE to 57500. Message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to cancel. Message frequency varies.