Warning: This article contains spoilers for Juror #2!
While waiting for Clint Eastwood'sJuror #2 to be released for video-on-demand, one classic 1957 legal drama can satiate the appetite of people eagerly waiting for the hit movie. Since the film's announcement in 2023, Juror #2 has been advertised as the last Clint Eastwood movie. While Eastwood hasn't confirmed this rumor, the possibility has brought more attention to the movie and garnered excitement from fans. Unfortunately, Warner Bros. Pictures made the bewildering decision to release Juror #2 in fewer than 50 US movie theaters, with the situation being dubbed "the curious case of the missing Clint Eastwood film" by The Guardian.
Unfortunately, fans of Clint Eastwood will have to wait at least a couple more weeks for Juror #2 to hit video-on-demand, and it could be over a month for it to release on Max. The anticipation will only continue to grow, too, as the movie has been a surprising success at the box office, and critics have responded overwhelmingly positively. Luckily, one classic legal drama from 1957 with remarkable similarities is readily available to watch in the meantime.
12 Angry Men Is Considered The Best Legal Drama Of All Time
12 Angry Men Is The Perfect Movie To Watch While Waiting For Juror #2
While waiting for Juror #2 to be available to the wider public on VOD, viewers might be interested in watching other movies within the same subgenre. 12 Angry Men is the perfect choice because it’s widely considered the best legal drama of all time and a masterclass in American cinema. The film follows a group of 12 men who sit on a jury for a first-degree murder case against an 18-year-old man who may or may not have killed his father, depending on the individual interpretation of the evidence.
Clint Eastwood's upcoming movie, Juror #2, which could be his last, is only set for a limited 50-theater release according to a new report.
12 Angry Men immediately establishes the high stakes in the story. If the group returns with a guilty verdict, the judge states that the defendant will be sentenced to death. After a preliminary vote, the result is 11 to 1 in favor of conviction, so the group must discuss the evidence while confined to a small room in the sweltering heat, a setting that adds tension. Like Juror #2, 12 Angry Men is noteworthy not just for its compelling story, but also for its incredible cinematography, which makes the movie just as visually engaging as it is narratively powerful.
12 Angry Men And Juror #2 Confront The Way Biases Impact The Legal System
Every Character In 12 Angry Men And Juror #2 Have Their Own Biases
Despite its age, 12 Angry Men is just as important as ever, bringing up biases that can influence outcomes in the legal system. The jurors in 12 Angry Men bring their own experiences, preconceived values, and ideas about justice into the jury room. Some biases, like Juror #3’s issues with his son and Juror #10’s racism, are easy to clock. However, Juror #8, the protagonist of the movie, has values about justice that impact the outcome just as much as the others. The difference is that his biases match the generally accepted ideals of the American justice system.
67 years after the classic legal drama, Juror #2 makes the same points about jury bias in a modern framework. Each of the juror’s backgrounds, experiences, and prejudices play into their deliberation. Harold’s experience as a retired veterans detective means he focuses on different details than the other jurors. Justin fights to free Scythe because of his guilty conscience. Meanwhile, Marcus doesn’t want to acquit him because he believes the defendant to be a gang member. All of these jurors’ biases go into the jury deliberation process.
Ultimately, these films both emphasize the fallibility of humans involved in the legal system, even when individuals have honorable intentions.
12 Angry Men also makes the point about the witnesses having underlying motives and biases that influence their testimony during the trial. The old man could want to be heard and appreciated, making him willing to testify. The woman across the street is unintentionally deceptive by removing her glasses, influencing the veracity and believability of her testimony. Moreover, the defense attorney’s workload influences how he defends their client, further influencing every person involved in the case.
Not all courtroom dramas are completely accurate to real-life situations, but some do deliver more authentic approaches that fit in with the facts.
In Juror #2, this issue is just as much at play. Killebrew eventually realizes that the police primed the witness to pick Scythe out of a lineup, making the accuracy of his testimony questionable. Moreover, as passionate as Killebrew is about the case, she tied her election campaign to it, giving her an ulterior motive to fight harder for a conviction. On the other hand, Resnick is so overworked that he makes careless mistakes with significant consequences. Ultimately, these films both emphasize the fallibility of humans involved in the legal system, even when individuals have honorable intentions.
Reasonable Doubt Is A Cornerstone Of The American Judicial System
At the heart of 12 Angry Men is an important question – what is reasonable doubt? Each of the jurors in the classic film has an idea in their head about what makes them believe the defendant is guilty or innocent. However, reasonable doubt is an amorphous standard that looms throughout the whole story. Ultimately, by refusing to confirm whether the young man is factually guilty at the end of 12 Angry Men, the movie forces the audience to ask themselves the same questions about guilt and innocence. Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2 takes a similar approach to the topic of reasonable doubt.
The jurors in the Kendall Carter murder case must grapple with the evidence against James Sythe, figuring out the line between guilt and innocence. The movie leaves it maddeningly ambiguous for the audience whether Justin Kemp accidentally killed her or James Sythe murdered his girlfriend. The movie provides a strong argument for both possibilities, ultimately leaving it up to the audience to interpret the situation and examine the scenarios for reasonable doubt. While Juror #2will probably never be as prolific as 12 Angry Men, these narrative and thematic similarities make the movies kindred spirits.
Justin Kemp, a juror in a prominent murder trial, encounters a moral conflict as he realizes his influence over the jury's decision. Struggling with the potential consequences, he faces the ethical challenge of possibly swaying the verdict to either convict or free the wrong individual, complicating his role significantly.
Release Date October 30, 2024
Writers Jonathan A. Abrams
Cast Nicholas Hoult , Toni Collette , J.K. Simmons , Kiefer Sutherland , Zoey Deutch , Gabriel Basso , Chris Messina , Francesca Eastwood
Runtime 114 Minutes
12 Angry Men is a 1957 drama centering on twelve jurors in New York City who are deciding the verdict of a murder trial. Eleven of the jurors are set on a guilty verdict, but one stubborn juror slowly starts to change the others' minds with his careful consideration of the evidence.
Director Sidney Lumet
Release Date April 10, 1957
Writers Reiginald Rose
Cast John Fiedler , Henry Fonda , Martin Balsam , Jack Klugman , Lee J. Cobb , E.G. Marshall
Custom Image by Simone Ashmoore
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English (US) ·