Zaslav is busy burning bridges and stripmining WB. Once he's taken his massive cheque to the bank, there will be no studio left, just an empty husk spewing out reality drivel...
Very good review, Mathew. While I agree with a lot of what you said, some of the plot contrivances were a bit too unbelievable for me to really buy into it. I don't really buy that a conviction in this random murder trial is the thing that will decide Toni Collette's political career, for example. And though I know that the knowledge we have as the audience colors our perception, there are large, obvious holes in the prosecution case - so much so, that it just makes Chris Messina look incompetent for either not exploiting properly, or not even bringing them up at all, apparently. I am looking forward to Legal Eagle eventually making a video on it, as you mentioned, 'cause I was thinking the same thing.
Nicholas Hoult has been impressing me for a decade or more, and it’s a testament to his talent that someone as seasoned and acclaimed as Eastwood put him in this lead. Hoult himself makes me interested to check this out, if any option to see it surfaces in the US.
He’s come a long way from the little wisecracking kid opposite Hugh Grant. His resume continues to impress me as the years go by; I had never heard of his till “The Great” on Hulu
Great to see another full length review and I certainly appreciate you going into depth on this film given due to the release it probably is destined to go under the radar.
While I'm sad it isn't getting a full release, I hope it means it may be available for streaming by the holidays. Sounds like a good choice to watch when my octagenarian parents come to visit. That isn't meant as a dig on the movie. More that they don't like a lot of the movies I and my wife like to watch. But this one sounds interesting to me and I suspect they'd like it too so a win win.
When I read the synopsis thought where's the plot? The accused is a dead cert to be convicted, and Hoult doesn't have to do anything to get away with it. Lol Actually when I read that he tries to get the accused acquitted, while remaining unsuspected, I did consider that Hoult's character fell in love with the accused, and this was why he was doing it. To be with her, even though he'd killed her boyfriend. This script could be done as a really interesting dark comedy.
Studios sometimes unjustly lose faith in a film Warner Brothers did it to Eastwood and Juror Number Two and the Universal did the same to Orson Wells in Touch Of Evil. I haven't seen any discussion on what Warner Brothers didn't like but the final outcome in no way justifies that lack of faith.
It’s up to Mr. Eastwood and his health to decide if this is his last project, but he could’ve been retired from picture-making for decades, say after Gran Torino. Which wasn’t even his last acting turn, after all. It he can keep making quality movies until 110, that’s great by me. Wish I had 1/10th of his energy and enthusiasm to continue working on worthwhile things, vs. kicking back and reflecting.
I cannot believe I missed this, and very much want to watch it as someone who previously did law. I think with Justin's character, there is the interesting added complication that while hitting her was an accident, trying to hide the truth once he learns what happened was not.
I missed the theatrical run, but watched it on Max last weekend & it was a great note for Clint to retire on. But absolutely agree WB is being so scummy in their treatment of artists & properties they have. They’ve worked with Clint for ages & this is how they treat the last work he’s given the world after being in the industry since “Rawhide”? It’s a disgrace
Thanks for your excellent review. I look forward to seeing the movie when it comes out on DVD in the first quarter of 2025. I live in Southern CA and cannot find it in the theatres. I do not use streaming services. Guess I'm as old-fashioned as this film, and that's fine with me.
WOW! Clint's a decade older than Maye West was when she did her final film Sextette (I remember that she was 84 because it was mentioned in the Musical Hell review of that film)
You lay out the elements and the issues in the story beautifully. Fine job. I don't agree about the "contrivances". Everything in the script tracks. And jurors with past law enforcement experience -- J.K. Simmons' character is now a florist -- happens in real life. I've been on four juries and every time was asked only about my current, not my past, employment. Also, these actors are all pros. They know how to act for Eastwood, which is very naturally. Far-fetched? How did you enjoy the movie as much as you did? And Hoult will get acting awards attention.
honestly started out good but the second half felt like they ran out of money and just rushed to the end. So many holes in the plot and the ending feels unrealistic. They had no way to prosecute the guy, it was all circumstantial. The autopsy should have been thrown out since it was clearly rushed.
Clint Eastwood is a legend of cinema and it's amazing that he's still working at 94. If this is the end, it's good that he's bowed out on a good note here [even if the release strategy feels disrespectful].
I'm surprised David Zaslav, the owner of Warner-Discovery funded the film at all. After he publicly berated the studio funding Eastwood's film Cry Macho even though they knew it would lose money, because of loyalty to him making so many successful films with them over 40+ years. After that you think that would be a send off from WB and Clint not wanting to work with them again.
@@davidjames579 I did really enjoy Cry Macho but it certainly wasn't a commercial project having been kicking about since the late 80's [to the extent N. Richard Nash got a screenplay credit 21 years after he died]. It was going to star Arnold Schwarzenegger at one point until the 'love child' scandal caused it to collapse. The 'buried' release of this film might well be a reaction to Cry Macho's failure but I agree it's odd it's happened at all at WB given Zaslav's comments and given Clint's reputation he surely could get it funded elsewhere.
@@jamesatkinsonja I feel sorry for Clint if he could only get this made at WB. It was humiliating for Zaslav to say those things in public, and about a living legend. I would have hoped Clint could have done a Nolan and said I don't respect this regime and sought funding at other studios. But Clint, alas didn't even make a comment. Denis Villeneuve, despite being tied into doing the Dune films, still issued a harsh comment on the WB cinema and streaming same day fiasco.
I do wonder if the poor theatrical performance of Ridley Scott's 'The Last Duel' back in 2021 [which featured a trial with differing view points] might have put Warner Bros off a proper theatrical release although given this is modestly budgeted [at $35 million] they should have given it a wider release.
The Last Duel was a large-ish budget, Hard R (and 18 cert in UK) film, and not what general audiences might expect from a Ridley Scott lavish historical epic. It was also released during The Pandemic. But I do wonder if like the Western, the Courtroom Drama is a dead genre. In cinemas at least.
@@davidjames579 It was delayed so long that Scott's next film 'House of Gucci' came out only a month or so later. It certainly seemed to get buried in the glut of delayed films in autumn 2021 [Edgar Wrights 'Last Night in Soho' was another one that ended up flopping around the same time] but certainly the subject mater and 18 rating didn't invite a general audience [even though it was a very good film] but very true-Courtroom drama is much more a tv thing now a days.
@@jamesatkinsonja Ah, I remember two Ridley Scott films within a month of each other. And both starring Adam Driver! Ridley works notoriously fast, so delaying Duel by a year meant it would run into his next film's release. Autumn 2021 still was an odd time for cinemagoing. Even the greatly anticipated new Bond film, didn't make as much as if it had been released outside of The Pandemic (I have older relatives who wanted to see it but didn't want to risk going to a cinema). Last Night In Soho is also an 18, although it being a horror might necessitate that if it wasn't for the expensive production design. There really needs to be a reason to go to cinemas now, and with Westerns, while Paramount Plus can run a whole franchise of Yellowstone shows, that didn't translate to people seeing it's star Kevin Costner's Western film Horizon Part 1 in cinemas. I feel the same is probably true of Courtroom Dramas. Especially when you need to pay attention, and maybe considering the evidence is more satisfying at home where you can pause, rewind, and even discuss it with your fellow viewers.
I'm a big fan of Clint but there's no market for this movie in theaters. Now if it was a really good movie, they might've have put in in wider release. For reference look at this video: Only 3K views all month for a new Clint Eastwood movie review.
Maybe I am the pedant here, but this is exactly the reason why you should call the cops and have it documented when you hit something with your car. Even if you assume its just a deer.
@@davidjames579 He only finds out later that he accidentally killed a woman. And getting her boyfriend implicated is something he distinctly does not want.
@wjzav1971 but he knew he hit something. And as you say best to report, this is why it probably isn't. This film is quite unique in that the guy could have resolved the problem by not doing anything at all. The plot happens because he chooses it to.
I rather liked this movie. I'd give it a B+ and it was nice to see Eastwood go out on a decent highnote (if this is his last) considering his last 10yrs of film releases. The reason for the B+ is it stumbles in the last 10min. Basically Hoult goes from sympathetic to reprehensible, but the movie still wants us to sympathize with him.
Nope, this movie was terrible. I’ve served on a jury before in the US, and I don’t think the screenwriter has any understanding of the court/justice system. The dialogue between the jurors was so cringey and bad, too. The premise was great but the way it played out… Not at all.
Also, if they were discussing an alternate theory of how she died, that constitutes reasonable doubt. They made it like the defense needed to prove he didn't do it which is not how trials work.
It felt like the first half and second half of the movie were written by different writers. The second half looked so half baked really a waste of time.
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I've been enjoying the shorts, but I'm glad to see a full-length review. Good job.
WB being terrible to artists... I am shocked! Well not so shocked.
Zaslav is busy burning bridges and stripmining WB. Once he's taken his massive cheque to the bank, there will be no studio left, just an empty husk spewing out reality drivel...
None of us are, but it’s even more insulting how legendary Clint’s career is and his partnership with WB for decades
Very good review, Mathew. While I agree with a lot of what you said, some of the plot contrivances were a bit too unbelievable for me to really buy into it. I don't really buy that a conviction in this random murder trial is the thing that will decide Toni Collette's political career, for example. And though I know that the knowledge we have as the audience colors our perception, there are large, obvious holes in the prosecution case - so much so, that it just makes Chris Messina look incompetent for either not exploiting properly, or not even bringing them up at all, apparently. I am looking forward to Legal Eagle eventually making a video on it, as you mentioned, 'cause I was thinking the same thing.
Nicholas Hoult has been impressing me for a decade or more, and it’s a testament to his talent that someone as seasoned and acclaimed as Eastwood put him in this lead. Hoult himself makes me interested to check this out, if any option to see it surfaces in the US.
He’s come a long way from the little wisecracking kid opposite Hugh Grant. His resume continues to impress me as the years go by; I had never heard of his till “The Great” on Hulu
Better than Nosferatu.
So it's not just animation and video games that David Zaslav hates, it's also common sense.
They're not even reporting the OW. Imagine if we knew what the theater average was. Could've been good enough to expand.
Great to see another full length review and I certainly appreciate you going into depth on this film given due to the release it probably is destined to go under the radar.
The very last shot in the movie is really very reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock. I won't give it away but when you watch it you'll understand
Had to sail the high seas to catch this. Solid film. Shame on WB for burying this!
Why doesn't WB put this film in theatres?
Because they think the audience will be confused that they missed Juror #1.
Supposedly that's why the play The Madness Of King George III had to have the III removed when it was made into a film.
It’s because it’s a poorly written and acted film
They did give it a limited run in the States, but I missed it
While I'm sad it isn't getting a full release, I hope it means it may be available for streaming by the holidays. Sounds like a good choice to watch when my octagenarian parents come to visit. That isn't meant as a dig on the movie. More that they don't like a lot of the movies I and my wife like to watch. But this one sounds interesting to me and I suspect they'd like it too so a win win.
When I read the synopsis thought where's the plot? The accused is a dead cert to be convicted, and Hoult doesn't have to do anything to get away with it. Lol Actually when I read that he tries to get the accused acquitted, while remaining unsuspected, I did consider that Hoult's character fell in love with the accused, and this was why he was doing it. To be with her, even though he'd killed her boyfriend. This script could be done as a really interesting dark comedy.
Studios sometimes unjustly lose faith in a film Warner Brothers did it to Eastwood and Juror Number Two and the Universal did the same to Orson Wells in Touch Of Evil. I haven't seen any discussion on what Warner Brothers didn't like but the final outcome in no way justifies that lack of faith.
side note, ‘Guilty As Sin’ by Sidney Lumet is an excellent, underrated courtroom thriller.
Crazy to see him still going. Glad to see he went out on a decently high note, imo.
Despite the flaws in its execution, it was still a strong ending to a remarkable career for Clint. I hope he enjoys his retirement
It’s up to Mr. Eastwood and his health to decide if this is his last project, but he could’ve been retired from picture-making for decades, say after Gran Torino.
Which wasn’t even his last acting turn, after all. It he can keep making quality movies until 110, that’s great by me. Wish I had 1/10th of his energy and enthusiasm to continue working on worthwhile things, vs. kicking back and reflecting.
I cannot believe I missed this, and very much want to watch it as someone who previously did law. I think with Justin's character, there is the interesting added complication that while hitting her was an accident, trying to hide the truth once he learns what happened was not.
I missed the theatrical run, but watched it on Max last weekend & it was a great note for Clint to retire on. But absolutely agree WB is being so scummy in their treatment of artists & properties they have. They’ve worked with Clint for ages & this is how they treat the last work he’s given the world after being in the industry since “Rawhide”? It’s a disgrace
At least it IS getting released.
Never gonna get Batgirl, or Coyote vs Acme, or...
Yeah, those projects were lost to 'tax write offs'.
Thanks for your excellent review. I look forward to seeing the movie when it comes out on DVD in the first quarter of 2025. I live in Southern CA and cannot find it in the theatres. I do not use streaming services. Guess I'm as old-fashioned as this film, and that's fine with me.
WOW! Clint's a decade older than Maye West was when she did her final film Sextette (I remember that she was 84 because it was mentioned in the Musical Hell review of that film)
It's had a decent release here in France, thankfully. I was able to go and see it.
This seems like such a good film! I wish it was playing near me.
You lay out the elements and the issues in the story beautifully. Fine job. I don't agree about the "contrivances". Everything in the script tracks. And jurors with past law enforcement experience -- J.K. Simmons' character is now a florist -- happens in real life. I've been on four juries and every time was asked only about my current, not my past, employment. Also, these actors are all pros. They know how to act for Eastwood, which is very naturally. Far-fetched? How did you enjoy the movie as much as you did? And Hoult will get acting awards attention.
Hoult is not going to get recognized for this role, you for real?
@@brittyn You and I disagree. We'll see what happens.
Good lad, Brian. Keep them coming. 👍
When I watched the film I couldn’t help but notice that one of the jury members was Oscar from the 2018 Halloween.
honestly started out good but the second half felt like they ran out of money and just rushed to the end. So many holes in the plot and the ending feels unrealistic. They had no way to prosecute the guy, it was all circumstantial. The autopsy should have been thrown out since it was clearly rushed.
Clint Eastwood is a legend of cinema and it's amazing that he's still working at 94. If this is the end, it's good that he's bowed out on a good note here [even if the release strategy feels disrespectful].
I'm surprised David Zaslav, the owner of Warner-Discovery funded the film at all. After he publicly berated the studio funding Eastwood's film Cry Macho even though they knew it would lose money, because of loyalty to him making so many successful films with them over 40+ years. After that you think that would be a send off from WB and Clint not wanting to work with them again.
@@davidjames579 I did really enjoy Cry Macho but it certainly wasn't a commercial project having been kicking about since the late 80's [to the extent N. Richard Nash got a screenplay credit 21 years after he died]. It was going to star Arnold Schwarzenegger at one point until the 'love child' scandal caused it to collapse. The 'buried' release of this film might well be a reaction to Cry Macho's failure but I agree it's odd it's happened at all at WB given Zaslav's comments and given Clint's reputation he surely could get it funded elsewhere.
@@jamesatkinsonja I feel sorry for Clint if he could only get this made at WB. It was humiliating for Zaslav to say those things in public, and about a living legend. I would have hoped Clint could have done a Nolan and said I don't respect this regime and sought funding at other studios. But Clint, alas didn't even make a comment. Denis Villeneuve, despite being tied into doing the Dune films, still issued a harsh comment on the WB cinema and streaming same day fiasco.
I do wonder if the poor theatrical performance of Ridley Scott's 'The Last Duel' back in 2021 [which featured a trial with differing view points] might have put Warner Bros off a proper theatrical release although given this is modestly budgeted [at $35 million] they should have given it a wider release.
The Last Duel was a large-ish budget, Hard R (and 18 cert in UK) film, and not what general audiences might expect from a Ridley Scott lavish historical epic. It was also released during The Pandemic. But I do wonder if like the Western, the Courtroom Drama is a dead genre. In cinemas at least.
@@davidjames579 It was delayed so long that Scott's next film 'House of Gucci' came out only a month or so later. It certainly seemed to get buried in the glut of delayed films in autumn 2021 [Edgar Wrights 'Last Night in Soho' was another one that ended up flopping around the same time] but certainly the subject mater and 18 rating didn't invite a general audience [even though it was a very good film] but very true-Courtroom drama is much more a tv thing now a days.
@@jamesatkinsonja Ah, I remember two Ridley Scott films within a month of each other. And both starring Adam Driver! Ridley works notoriously fast, so delaying Duel by a year meant it would run into his next film's release. Autumn 2021 still was an odd time for cinemagoing. Even the greatly anticipated new Bond film, didn't make as much as if it had been released outside of The Pandemic (I have older relatives who wanted to see it but didn't want to risk going to a cinema). Last Night In Soho is also an 18, although it being a horror might necessitate that if it wasn't for the expensive production design.
There really needs to be a reason to go to cinemas now, and with Westerns, while Paramount Plus can run a whole franchise of Yellowstone shows, that didn't translate to people seeing it's star Kevin Costner's Western film Horizon Part 1 in cinemas. I feel the same is probably true of Courtroom Dramas. Especially when you need to pay attention, and maybe considering the evidence is more satisfying at home where you can pause, rewind, and even discuss it with your fellow viewers.
This sounds like an interesting film. I'll have to keep my eyes out for it.
Any one know the name of the country song in the movie that was played in the bar?? Cannot find it anywhere!
If memory serves me correctly, I think it was a Toby Keith song.
Hard Livin' - Chris Stapleton
I'm a big fan of Clint but there's no market for this movie in theaters. Now if it was a really good movie, they might've have put in in wider release. For reference look at this video: Only 3K views all month for a new Clint Eastwood movie review.
Maybe I am the pedant here, but this is exactly the reason why you should call the cops and have it documented when you hit something with your car. Even if you assume its just a deer.
But then he would have been caught.
@@davidjames579 Would have been clear from the circumstances that it was an accident
@@wjzav1971 Hmm. Best not to chance fate. And the boyfriend is the perfect patsy.
@@davidjames579 He only finds out later that he accidentally killed a woman. And getting her boyfriend implicated is something he distinctly does not want.
@wjzav1971 but he knew he hit something. And as you say best to report, this is why it probably isn't. This film is quite unique in that the guy could have resolved the problem by not doing anything at all. The plot happens because he chooses it to.
I rather liked this movie. I'd give it a B+ and it was nice to see Eastwood go out on a decent highnote (if this is his last) considering his last 10yrs of film releases. The reason for the B+ is it stumbles in the last 10min. Basically Hoult goes from sympathetic to reprehensible, but the movie still wants us to sympathize with him.
The Boys & Girls Club juror was a real punk.
Nope, this movie was terrible. I’ve served on a jury before in the US, and I don’t think the screenwriter has any understanding of the court/justice system. The dialogue between the jurors was so cringey and bad, too. The premise was great but the way it played out… Not at all.
Also, if they were discussing an alternate theory of how she died, that constitutes reasonable doubt. They made it like the defense needed to prove he didn't do it which is not how trials work.
@ exactly! You’re right!
It felt like the first half and second half of the movie were written by different writers. The second half looked so half baked really a waste of time.
So this movie is at least as good as "Jury Duty". Got it
Rashamon.