The court thriller of a Hollywood legend will be available on the Max platform in December

Regardless of whether he plays a criminal – as in Sergio Leone's “Dollar Trilogy”, or an unpredictable law enforcement officer in “Dirty Harry”, and finally whether he himself becomes a chronicler of the life of the most powerful law enforcement officer in USAWhile filming “J. Edgar”, Clint Eastwood has always been fascinated by justice. In the latest film “Juror #2”, however, for the first time the action is placed in the heart of the American justice system – among jury members.

In the film “Juror #2”, which American critics say is probably the last picture of the Hollywood giant, the main role was played by Nicholas Hoult (best known for the famous HBO series “The Great”). In the USA, the film was released only in selected cinemas for a short time (so it can apply for Oscar), however, in Poland it will immediately appear on the Max platform.

Viewers will be able to watch it from December 20 this year.

The plot of “Jurora #2” is as “Eastwoodian” and full of ambiguities as the director has accustomed us to over the decades.

Here is the title character, Justin Kemp (Hoult) – a talented reporter and future father, against his own will, becomes a member of the jury in a media murder trial. He is one of 12 jurors who have to decide whether the man accused of murdering his girlfriend is guilty of her death. Already at the beginning of the film, the hero realizes that the accused is innocent because… he himself caused the victim's accidental death.

This is not a spoiler, because the film's trailer shows it in the first seconds, just like the distributor's description informs about it. Eastwood is completely uninterested in the question: “who killed?” – we know this from the very beginning, but how will the real culprit behave? The hero faces a difficult dilemma: manage the jury so that the truth does not come to light, or reveal his involvement in the tragedy and turn himself in to justice?

Eastwood wouldn't be himself if he didn't complicate the plot to reflect the duality of human nature. On the one hand, Justin does everything to ensure that the falsely accused James is not convicted, but on the other hand, he does not stop protecting himself. And one thing excludes the other in this case. There is also a career prosecutor played by Toni Collette, who will do everything to convict the accused because the success of the case will ensure her promotion. Just when we think that the hero will manage to combine justice with getting out of trouble, Eastwood performs a spectacular twist that changes everything.

In addition to the suspenseful plot – at some point the classic courtroom drama turns into a thriller – the film's great advantage is the acting. Nicholas Hoult in the main role is extremely reserved and arouses our empathy, while Collette brilliantly plays the successful prosecutor. The reliable JK Simmons appears in a supporting role, trying to confuse both Justin and the accusers.

In the United States, there is an ongoing discussion as to why Eastwood's film, which is receiving very good reviews, was released only in selected cinemas, even though it had a real chance of bringing significant profits. However, this has no influence on whether the painting will be appreciated by the members of the Academy.

“Juror #2” is undoubtedly the best film directed by Clint Eastwood in years – since “Sniper” from 2014, nominated for several Oscars.

The last decade was not a series of directorial and acting successes for the aged filmmaker. After the rather average productions “Jersey Boys” and “Sully”, the completely unsuccessful picture “15:17 to Paris” and the slightly better but financial disaster “Cry Macho”, good old Eastwood returned. The one for whom the characters' dilemmas become an opportunity to discuss with the viewer about human weaknesses and moral relativism, which Eastwood has long considered the greatest curse of our times.

It is not a work on par with the greatest productions of the master – such as the Oscar-winning “Million Dollar Baby” or “Unforgiven”, but it is undoubtedly intriguing and worth watching. Eastwood has not officially declared that this is his last film, but probably mainly due to his age, reviewers overseas write a lot about it in their texts. Perhaps this comes from the fact that usually when releasing a film, the legendary filmmaker announced his next project. This time there is silence on this issue.

We can only hope that “Juror #2” is at least the penultimate picture of the Hollywood master.