Warning: Spoilers forJuror #2.
Directed by Clint Eastwood,Juror #2is a legal thriller that follows Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult), a seemingly innocuous guy with a pregnant wife who’s called for jury duty one day. Selected as the second juror in a local murder case, Justin isn’t excited about fulfilling his civic duty. To make matters worse, once the trial begins, he realizes he might have a direct connection to the events surrounding the homicide. Seemingly a heartbreaking case of domestic abuse, James Syth (Gabriel Basso) is accused of beating his girlfriend, Kendall Carter (Francesca Eastwood), and throwing her body over a bridge. However, he claims he never committed such a crime. Unfortunately, with his criminal history and weak defense, the jury doesn’t believe him, except for Justin.
It turns out Justin was at the same bar James and Kendall were at on the night she died. After his wife suffered the miscarriage of their twins, Justin was struggling to process his emotions when the babies’ due date came to pass. As an alcoholic, he went to the bar, but ultimately chose not to drink. However, on his way home, he hit what he thought was a deer. He stopped to look for whatever he hit, but the monstrous thunderstorm that night made it difficult to see anything, so he drove home. Unbeknownst to him at the time, he actually hit and killed Kendall, but James was the one arrested for her murder just two days after her death. With vital information that could acquit James, Justin is now torn between doing what’s right to save an innocent man and saving himself.
Did The Jury Find James Guilty?
Immediately at the start of the jury’s deliberation,nearly everyone votes to convict James. Justin, on the other hand, expresses doubt, as does a retired homicide detective,Harold Chicowski (J. K. Simmons).In an effort to protect himself but also free James, Justin works to convince the jurors of the defendant’s innocence. He reiterates that if they have any sense of doubt, they have to vote not guilty. He does manage to sway a few of them, who begin to theorize a possible hit-and-run situation. However, there are many who reject such a notion and remain steadfast in their certainty to convict. Believing James to be an inherently bad person, many don’t want to explore the possibility that he could be innocent.
In the meantime, Harold is unable to quellhis urge to investigate the caseon his own and begins to explore the idea of a hit-and-run. He visits the scene of the crime and even pulls car repair records from the days after Kendall’s death. After narrowing them down to a couple dozen vehicles, one of which belongs to Justin, he attempts to share the information with Justin, who obviously doesn’t want to help a detective figure out who really killed Kendall.Justin then purposely allows the court officer to discover the paperwork, which results in Harold’s removal from the jury.
As Juror 13 is brought on to replace Harold, the outcome of a hung jury becomes a real possibility. However, given such a result won’t necessarily save James, and it could possibly lead to the prosecution’s exploration of other killers, he realizes there has to be a definitive verdict.The jury finally reaches a verdict on the same day Justin’s child is born, so when the verdict is delivered, Justin isn’t in the courtroom.James is ultimately found guilty, which means Justin voted to convict a man he knew was innocent for a crime he actually committed himself.
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Does Justin Ever Answer For His Crime?
At the beginning of the trial,District Attorney Faith Killebrew (Toni Collette)remained convinced James was guilty. However, after Harold’s removal from the jury, a seed of doubt is planted. She subsequently explores the car repair records Harold acquired and visits the homes of every owner on the list. She even speaks to Justin’s wife, Ally (Zoey Deutch), but because the couple have different last names and the story of how the vehicle was damaged doesn’t place it at the crime scene, Faith moves on.She also speaks to James one last time in prison, and their discussion only furthers Faith’s questions. Nonetheless, James is ultimately convicted.
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Riddled with guilt, Justin attends James’ sentencing hearing, who receives life in prison without the possibility of parole. His presence surprises Faith, but she quickly realizes he’s there because of guilt after she reads a “Thank You” card from Kendall’s parents. Just like Ally and Justin, Kendall’s parents have different last names, so she was initially unaware she had visited Justin’s home.After the sentencing, she joins Justin ona bench outside the courthouse, and the pair speak in the third person about the man who killed Kendall, but they both know they’re talking about Justin.
Justin explains his side and insists he’s a good man who made a mistake.According to Justin, a bad man is in prison and a good man with a family isn’t, which should suffice. When Faith explains that isn’t justice for Kendall, he retorts thatsometimes “the truth isn’t justice.”Given the guilty verdict played a role in her recent reelection, it appears as though Faith isn’t going to pursue Justin. However, while at home with his wife and child, he hears a knock at the door. When he opens it,Faith is standing in front of him and the two share a look before the film cuts to black. It’s clear Faith isn’t going to allow a guilty man to walk free.Juror #2is currently streaming on Max.
