MOVIE REVIEW: JUROR #2

 

A juror for a high-profile murder trial finds himself struggling with a serious moral dilemma that could influence the verdict and potentially convict, or free, the accused killer.

Director: Clint Eastwood

Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, J. K. Simmons, Kiefer Sutherland, Chris Messina, Zoey Deutch

Release Date: October 27, 2024

Genre: Thriller

Rated PG-13 for some violent images and strong language.

Runtime: 1h 54m

Review:

Clint Eastwood's latest film is a fascinating morality tale in the form of a courtroom drama that dissects the ideas of truth and justice in an earnest, meaningfully way.  Eastwood's film is a deliberately paced throwback drama that gives the audience plenty to chew on while rarely falling back on didactic moralism.   It’s a film that works in morally grey areas for the majority of its runtime with each participant bringing their own self interest to the table adding an intriguing level of complexity to their motivations.  Eastwood does a solid job of laying all these conflicting viewpoints onscreen to show how complicated and imperfect the justice system can be.  It’s all very glossy, lacking the kind of real world grittiness that would have made it even more effective with Eastwood pulling for a more satisfying resolution as opposed to something more nebulous and complicated.  It’s a minor complaint because the film is so well constructed and acted that it’s easy to overlook some of the film's biggest cinematic stretches.  The ensemble cast led by Nicholas Hoult is solid across the board.  Hoult's tortured turn as the juror/assailant is a study in subtly as more and more layers reveal themselves as the film goes on.  Zoey Deutch is given an underwritten role as his wife which she does what she can with.  There's a sense that there's plenty of fertile ground that goes untouched thanks to the generic characterization she's given to work with.  Toni Collette, sporting an aggressive southern access, fares better as the DA who's prosecuting the case and running for re-election.  Collette brings a dogged single mindedness to the character making her tunnel vision make sense as she attempts to advance her career.  There's a bit of moderation in the back half of the film as her friend and public defender played with abject earnestness by Chris Messina makes it clear she's more focused on her career as opposed to the pursuit of truth.  Messina and Collette have solid chemistry together which makes their interaction a strong showcase for both even though you wish the script offered more details about their friendship.  J. K. Simmons, Kiefer Sutherland and Leslie Bibb have small supporting roles which add texture to the story just through their screen presence.  The film could have made better use of Simmons in particular who has a moment to shine before he's shuffled off screen for the remainder of the story.  Juror #2 plays it a tad too safe for my taste in its final act but that doesn't detract from its polished presentation and strong performances from its ensemble. 

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: THEY CLONED TYRONE

 

A series of eerie events thrusts an unlikely trio onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy.

Director: Juel Taylor

Cast: John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, Jamie Foxx,  David Alan Grier, Kiefer Sutherland

Release Date: July 14, 2023 

Genre: Action, Comedy, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated R for pervasive language, violence, some sexual material and drug use

Runtime: 2h 2m

Juel Taylor's directorial debut is a surprisingly funny and effective amalgam of some tried and true sci-fi tropes paired with an old school blaxploitation feel.  Its gritty look and feel immediately echo those 70s films as it starts out as a fairly straight forward urban crime drama before it reveals something more insidious lurking underneath.  John Boyega plays the titular drug dealer with a steely hardened facade with hints of emotional depth scattered throughout his journey.  He's the straight man to Jamie Foxx and Teyonah Parris bigger more cartoonish roles which makes for a fun dynamic once the trio start their investigation into craziness of their situation.  Foxx is in rare form here as he unleashes his comedic talents onscreen with the sort of unrestrained energy were his trademark of his early career.  Parris is having just as much fun as the Nancy Drew loving, soon to be retired proustite.  Their Motley Scooby Doo crew make the film work far better than it should since the reveals are fairly predictable.  That's not to say the script doesn't have a lot to say, it does, but the messaging gets a bit jumbled in its messy final act which borrows bits from Black Dynamite, Dark City and Westworld.  While it doesn't stick the landing, They Clone Tyrone does so much right that you can't help but appreciate this initial effort from Taylor and his cast, enough to make the tease at the end all the more intriguing.

B

Cindy Prascik's Review of The Contractor & The Gray Man

 Say, there, dear reader(s), did'ja miss me? Probably not, but I'm back with a couple reviews for your eager-ish eyes.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers or the IMDB synopses.

First movie on today's agenda: The Contender.

A Special Forces sergeant, involuntarily discharged from the service, finds work (and trouble) with a private contractor.

The Contractor has been bouncing around the buy/rent streaming circuit for several months. I wasn't interested enough to pony up any cash, but, when it turned up for free, the time was right.

The Contractor lays its groundwork slowly. The first half-hour really feels like it's going nowhere, and there's nothing so complicated that the movie couldn't have cut to the chase in half the time. Chris Pine (my favorite of the Hollywood Chrises!) portrays James, a brooding hero trying to stay afloat in a post-military life that owes him better than he gets. Ben Foster steals the show (as Ben Foster always does) as a fellow ex-soldier who gets James into the contract business. Kiefer Sutherland, Gillian Jacobs, JD Pardo, and Eddie Marsan flesh out cookie-cutter supporting roles that could have been handed to lesser names and been none the worse for it. The story twists and turns rather nicely, if somewhat predictably, but seems to rush to its end. Cutting 15 minutes from the setup and devoting it to the payout would have served the picture well, but ultimately it maintains tension and ties up its story nicely enough that we'll call it a win.

The Contractor clocks in at 103 minutes and is rated R for "violence and language."

The Contractor is a generic but serviceable way to pass a late summer afternoon. Of a possible nine Weasleys, the Contractor gets four and a half.

The Contractor is now playing/streaming on the Showtime family of networks, and is available to rent or buy from all the usual outlets.

Next on my Saturday schedule was the Gray Man.

After discovering some of the agency hierarchy's dirty secrets, a CIA dark operative finds himself on the run from a psychotic former colleague.

The Gray Man is another by-the-numbers thriller salvaged by a reasonably talented, good-looking, and likeable cast. Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans face off in the leads, with Evans' performance reminding me of nothing more than Jason Patrick's turn in my personal favorite Chris Evans movie, the Losers. The entertaining pair, along with some unique action sequences, combine for a good enough time, but the movie's attempts at humor are painful, and it overstays its welcome by a solid 30 minutes.

The Gray Man runs 122 minutes and is rated PG13 for "intense sequences of strong violence, and strong language."

The Gray Man is a passable thriller elevated by a solid cast. Of a possible nine Weasleys, the Gray Man gets five.

Fangirl points: Shea Whigham!

The Gray Man is now streaming on Netflix.

Until next time...