I finally saw this tonight and it's easily one of Eastwood's best efforts in years, with a couple of caveats...
1) While it's incredibly engaging overall, and they milk such a good premise for all its worth, in the best way... it could have been a great movie in another director's hands, one who isn't 94 years old, who could tell the story a little tighter, and wasn't so damn on-the-nose at times. Yes, this is good Eastwood, but good Eastwood in this day and age is still more awkward and plodding than I prefer. It's a damn solid effort, but could have potentially been a real awards contender in the right hands.
2) The ending - basically, the very last scene and the exact beat they choose to end on - didn't work for me at all. Granted, there was only one way this thing was going to end, without making Hoult's character a complete monster. But man it's a downer, while also being one of those, "Wait, that's it?!" endings that doesn't ruin everything before it, but sure does leave on a weird/negative note. That said, it's at least a thematically sound ending, I just wish they could have found a different way to arrive at roughly the same thesis.
Overall, though, the audience really seemed into it. I can't remember the last time I saw a mid-budget adult drama like this, with a packed audience, but it reminded me that this is how it used to be all the time, and man do I want that back.
That said, somehow not knowing what they had, Warner Bros totally ****ed the release, as this was only planned for a super-limited, week-long theatrical run before heading to Max in December. But it's killing in the few theaters in which it is playing, so much so that WB decided to extend/expand the release to this weekend as well. So who knows, if it keeps performing, maybe the'll extend/expand it again. In other words, if you live in a big city and it happens to playing near you, definitely go see it...
Juror #2
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27403986/
November 1, 2024
Theatrical Exclusive
1) While it's incredibly engaging overall, and they milk such a good premise for all its worth, in the best way... it could have been a great movie in another director's hands, one who isn't 94 years old, who could tell the story a little tighter, and wasn't so damn on-the-nose at times. Yes, this is good Eastwood, but good Eastwood in this day and age is still more awkward and plodding than I prefer. It's a damn solid effort, but could have potentially been a real awards contender in the right hands.
2) The ending - basically, the very last scene and the exact beat they choose to end on - didn't work for me at all. Granted, there was only one way this thing was going to end, without making Hoult's character a complete monster. But man it's a downer, while also being one of those, "Wait, that's it?!" endings that doesn't ruin everything before it, but sure does leave on a weird/negative note. That said, it's at least a thematically sound ending, I just wish they could have found a different way to arrive at roughly the same thesis.
Overall, though, the audience really seemed into it. I can't remember the last time I saw a mid-budget adult drama like this, with a packed audience, but it reminded me that this is how it used to be all the time, and man do I want that back.
That said, somehow not knowing what they had, Warner Bros totally ****ed the release, as this was only planned for a super-limited, week-long theatrical run before heading to Max in December. But it's killing in the few theaters in which it is playing, so much so that WB decided to extend/expand the release to this weekend as well. So who knows, if it keeps performing, maybe the'll extend/expand it again. In other words, if you live in a big city and it happens to playing near you, definitely go see it...
Juror #2
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27403986/
November 1, 2024
Theatrical Exclusive
