Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Juror #2 Blu-ray Movie Review

One not-so-angry man.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III January 30, 2025

Juror #2 might be the last movie we get out of director Clint Eastwood, who turns 95 this year... but then again, a lot of critics have been saying that for quite some time now. And while I consider the majority of his filmmaking during the past 20 years to be extremely hit-or-miss, the mere fact that he's still chugging away decades after most people settle into retirement is worthy of respect. This courtroom drama, written by first-time scribe Jonathan Abrams, is decorated with a few prominent cast members and a decent narrative hook, and just might be one of the rare modern Eastwood movies that could've been a little longer: it's a bit rough around the edges and some of the supporting performances are amateur hour, but there's more than enough here to keep new viewers compelled from start to finish.

Taking several spiritual cues from Sidney Lumet's immortal 12 Angry Men with a dash of Changing Lanes, Juror #2 unfolds mostly from the perspective of Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult), who's been selected for jury duty during the third trimester of his wife Allison's (Zoey Deutch) high-risk pregnancy. Both Justin and Allison are battling multiple personal challenges, including the loss of twins due to a miscarriage as well as Justin's gradual recovery from alcoholism, which he's thankfully been able to manage with the help of local AA leader Larry Lasker (Kiefer Sutherland). The first year of their young marriage has been tough, but things are looking up... that is, until the details of the trial make themselves known. Nursing a secret that might tear his life apart, Justin struggles with his conscience as defendant James Sythe (Gabriel Basso) is put on trial for the suspected murder of his girlfriend Kendall Carter (Francesca Eastwood).

Justin's internal struggle does most of the driving but there's a bit of political intrigue in the form of prosecutor Faith Killebrew (Toni Collette), who's running for District Attorney so a big win might propel her into a bigger office. Working alongside her colleague and James' public defender Eric Resnick (Chris Messina), Faith has her own crisis of, well, faith with the case: like the jury itself she has preconceived notions, biases, and maybe even ulterior motives, some of which affect her judgment early on but push her to dig a little deeper for the truth. Speaking of the jury, it's a diverse group that also includes retired detective Harold Chicowski (J.K. Simmons), youth advocate Marcus King (Cedric Yarbrough), foreperson Denice Aldworth (Leslie Bibb), and others who are mostly either stereotypes or clichés -- really, a sassy black bus driver and an Asian med student? -- but at least seem to behave in a semi-realistic manner.

Juror #2 juggles a lot of balls in the air and, despite its decently original plot, suffers a bit due to vague familiarity. (There's also the casting, which as implied is fairly hit or miss outside of the recognizable names.) The good news is that it's a very competently made production and chugs along well enough, sacrificing a bit of realism in the name of viewer engagement while rarely overplaying its hand along the way. It's fairly unpredictable in the home stretch and doesn't close right after the verdict is read, allowing time for Justin's actions to marinate and Faith's nagging instincts to finally manifest. A tighter script would have propelled Juror #2 further, but even with a few flaws it's still solidly watchable and stands as good work for a director who still has no intention of giving up any time soon.

But tell that to Warner Bros., who unfortunately gave up on Juror #2 right after production by awarding it a measly one-week limited theatrical run before unceremoniously dumping it onto Max. (Similarly, this barebones MOD Blu-ray release doesn't have a 4K option either, although we at least get a digital copy.) It's not a perfect film but deserved both a better shot and a wider audience, so here's hoping more fans will seek it out on disc or streaming.

Juror #2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Delivered to only a few movie theaters with a 4K digital intermediate, Juror #2 has no UHD to its name (yet, at least) but still looks mighty good on Blu-ray, basically getting a whole dual-layered disc to itself. It's pretty much what you'd expect from an all-digital production of recent vintage, as this 1080p transfer boasts strong image detail and textures, great color reproduction, strong black levels, good contrast, and an overall tight appearance that could really only be improved with a native 4K presentation. Trace amounts of shimmering could be spotted on extremely fine details such as mesh, window blinds, and the like, although these could be due to format limitations. Within the boundaries of Blu-ray, it's a good-looking disc indeed and, on small to medium-sized displays, should play just about perfect.

Juror #2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

It's perhaps not the most obvious candidate for Dolby Atmos, but I appreciate the effort as well as WB's willingness to at least offer the option on Blu-ray. As such there aren't a lot of times where object-based audio or the height channels come into play... but when it does it's used very well, from the surprising screech of a sudden car crash to the "rowdy" ambiance at a local bar and, of course, the ever-present chirping of cicadas. Dialogue mostly stays firmly up front but occasionally ventures outward depending on location, while rears are again used appropriately and the low end even gets a few light workouts for dramatic effect including the original score by prolific composer Mark Mancina. Overall, it's a great-sounding track that matches the visuals, even if both of them often skew more low-key than flashy.

Optional subtitles, including English SDH, are offered during the main feature.

Juror #2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork and a digital copy.

No extras are included.

Juror #2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Clint Eastwood's Juror #2 is part courtroom drama with ambitions of a meatier legal thriller... and in certain respects, achieves this goal by building and maintaining psychological tension via the inner turmoil of its title character. There's a lot of familiarity here but it's decorated with fresher elements, allowing the story to chug along smoothly while throwing in a few surprises along the way. This is decent, straight-ahead filmmaking and might even make a good denouement if its director finally hangs up his hat, but at the very least can remind us that we're only as old as we feel. Sadly, Warner Bros.' Blu-ray only offers limited support and it's all in the A/V department, so the lack of extras and a 4K option won't make this pricey MOD (pressed) disc the easiest blind buy for most. Regardless, it's still Recommended.