Nicholas Hoult gets my attention in almost everything he does. The Menu, Renfield, The Great, and many more add to his resume that is quickly growing and showing him as a force in cinema. Not to mention his exciting big role coming up as Hutter in Nosferatu. He really shows off his acting chops in Juror #2. Oh see a man emotionally and morally conflicted throughout the entire run time and trying to carefully choose each step and sentence to not incriminate himself or let on his involvement in the case.
The court scenes were hit or miss for me. The testimony of Sythe was the best one of the court scenes. Some others either drag on a bit or are so brief you can tell it’s just to insert a scene or point. The testimony was the only one that felt well paced and had a big advancement to the story. In between those, the deliberations were enjoyable and felt like real debate within the room, outside of the lady that keeps yapping about having to get home to her kids so she just wants the verdict. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been in a jury room but it felt a little heavy handed. Other than that. The scenes in deliberation added to the intensity and slow build of the film. Hoult is the focal point in every scene in the room even when he isn’t talking due to the fact you see him nervously pacing, making concerned mannerisms, or chiming in to insert certain thoughts to other jurors while battling with himself what to do.
Toni Collette also goes from a stubborn prosecutor that cares about her political involvement to being the prosecutor that comes to question the entire case she has built, beyond more than a reasonable doubt in her mind. She also is gold in everything she touches, her scenes apart from Hoult’s felt like a great balance as the film while slow at times, gets you to where it wants to go. The scene in the bench with them two shines to me. While simple, and you can tell their conversation isn’t truly going anywhere because they both know what they know, it feels awkward and tense in all the right ways, because more is being said than just the words that are spoken. Props to Eastwood for that scene in the final act!
The whole time I expected him possibly to confess, knowing that it would be devastating for his wife and family dynamic. Simply choosing that someone has to take the fall in order for him to be able to have the life with his happy wife and second try at a baby in a high risk pregnancy. He gets his wish, gets a verdict whether he liked the verdict or not, it allows him to go back to his promising life and be guilty and paranoid the rest of his time rather than spending life behind bars for thinking he hit a deer while taking a life. The scene of Hoult watching the defendant get sentenced as he tears up and then disappears in front of Toni’s eyes was powerful as he is seeing one man lose his life while he continues his.
An Intense court drama like this felt like a great film to round off some of the epics and powerhouses we have gotten this year in cinema. I hope it does not fall on blind eyes and tons of people give it a chance because it’s a perfect at home watch that will make you feel tense and keep your attention throughout with the moral battle and performance by Hoult throughout.
C. A. ROETHLE
The Cinema Speakeasy Theatre Room 
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