Michael's Movie Grade: A-
A very intelligent and gripping courtroom drama.
It is believed that this could possibly be the last film for legendary filmmaker Clint Eastwood (he directs but doesn't act in the movie). If it is than I am very glad that he is ending his career on such a high note. This is truly a wonderful movie. The main reason this movie works so well is that the very premise presents us with a thought-provoking moral dilemma. Our main character is juror on a murder case where a man is accused of killing his girlfriend. As our main character hears what happened in the case, he comes to the realization that he may have killed this woman. He was driving home (he has a history of drunk driving but wasn't drunk at the time) from the same place and thought he hit a deer with his car at the exact same time in exact same spot that this woman was killed. He is faced with the moral dilemma of whether he should find the defendant guilty, so that the case won't be investigated further or find him not guilty because he knows the man is innocent. This moral choice is complicated by the defendant not being the most upstanding citizen and our main character's wife just about to give birth. This is a movie that perfectly put us in the shoes of the main character and forces us to face the same moral dilemma. This not only creates a thought-provoking film but also a movie that is very emotionally engaging. I found myself glued to the screen needing to see what happened next in each scene. Each twist and turn the movie took only made it more engaging.
Jonathan Abrams' (who amazingly receives his first writing credit on a movie here) script is incredibly smart with intelligent dialogue and its ability of making a courtroom drama as intense as any thriller. Clint Eastwood's direction is of course fantastic and though this may not be a fast-paced film, it is never once boring. A great lead performance by Nicholas Hoult as well as supporting performances by Toni Collette, J.K. Simmons, Kiefer Sutherland and Zoey Deutch help elevate this film above your average courtroom drama.
A must watch.
I recall the widespread speculation when Gran Torino was released that it was likely Eastwood's final movie. That was sixteen years and about a dozen films ago. A decade from now, you'll still be reviewing his work.
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